The Scars We Carry
by Sweet Little Bullet
Summary: Memory Charmed Hermione. EWE format. Past and Present collide when Hermione wakes up in a bed she doesn't remember, to a family she can't recall and a man she's supposed to hate. But what is hiding in their past and has it come back to haunt them? As Hermione works to regain her memories she also has to deal with the consequences of her past and the life she made with Draco Malfoy.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **A/N: *PLEASE READ* For those reading The Governess, it is already done and ready to go, I promise. I've been writing this story for ages and I am particularly attached to it. It is...different, to say the least. I'm not sure the best way to set this up but essentially it is one story told in two parts. The first part is the "present" and is in Hermione's POV. The second part is in the "Past" and is told from Draco's POV. If you have any suggestions on how to make it easier to read (I tried italicizing the past but it's a lot to read like that and hard on the eyes) it's appreciated. Everything is interconnected, though it may not seem like it, and it's as much of a mystery as a dramatic love story. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas. So please, let me know what you think and if I should even continue posting!**

 **Chapter 1**

 **Hermione  
~Present~**

Hermione came to with a start, her heart thudding behind her ears as the world swayed around her, a dizzying affect. She breathed deeply as the spinning eased and it was only then that she realized something wasn't right.

Before she could ponder on it too much, however, several things happened in quick succession. She sat up, noting the strange room in which she had just awoke, the window letting in just enough light to make her head explode in pain as the door burst open.

"Mummy!" came the shout and suddenly she was hit with a warm, solid, and very small body and she jumped as two equally as tiny arms wrapped around her neck in a vice grip. "I missed you."

The small voice prattled on and she reached down to pull the child away from her, sure there was some mistake just as a seperate pair of chubby little hands curled around the edge of the bed and an even smaller voice cried out in protest.

"I don't-who are you?" Hermione stammered as the child finally pulled away from her and she caught his eyes as the breath left her lungs.

"Mummy you're silly." the boy said with a laugh before turning to look at the other child on the floor beside the bed. "No Ly-Wa, go help Daddy."

Hermione looked at the boy in her arms as the little toddler somewhere to her left began to wail in earnest, exacerbating the drumming of blood in her skull as footsteps sounded in the hall.

She breathed in quiet relief, sure that this poor child was lost and confused and surer even still that her head was about to implode as the newcomer spoke from the doorway.

"Finally awake I see? Was beginning to wonder if you'd ever rejoin us love." Hermione's stomach rolled as she looked up, the voice jarring her insides as recognition filtered through her very core. Because she would know that voice anywhere, even as confusion settled in her gut and she pulled her eyes away from the child in her lap as she looked up every so slowly. Just as she met his steely gray gaze, the world we  
nt black.

 **DRACO  
~Past~  
**

"Draco, dear." He stopped, mid stride to turn his head towards the sound of his mother's voice. He had currently been en route to the kitchens, in desperate need of a snack to help settle his stomach and ease the pounding in his skull. Of course it was his own fault, Blaise had been all too happy to go out and celebrate his promotion the night before, not that Draco could really blame him. If there was one thing he did well, it was celebrate, that man. Still, a few firewhiskys later and he was paying for it now.

"Yes mother?" He said, fighting the grimace as just moving his jaw sent shockwaves through his skull.

"We have company..." she trailed off and Draco stepped around the corner just enough to see the curly rat's nest of hair that stood awkwardly behind his mother.

"Granger." He all but snarled and he saw her jaw clench, even from the other side of the room.

" _Malfoy_." She replied, not hiding the face she made as his name rolled off her tongue.

"Draco, Miss Granger is here on business..." His mother cut in, interrupting the stare down between the two. "If you could please lead her to the drawing room."

He cut his eyes to his mother quickly and then back to Granger, of course she knew what room his mother was talking about. He could have laughed out loud. His mother was different from his father. She, in fact, was the soft one- as the patriarch had so often felt the need to remind her- she was not cruel, but she _was_ cold and calculating.

"Very well." Draco said, bringing himself up to his full height. "This way Granger."

He didn't wait to see if she was following as he walked straight in to the room, holding the door open behind him to allow her to pass. He saw her, of course he saw her, as she paused at the threshold. The memory of the last time she had been in this very room no doubt etched in to her mind like the words on her skin. He wondered, briefly, if they were still there or if she had used magic to rid herself of the acknowledgment of her upbringing. Before he could wonder too long on why he actually _wanted_ to know, she traipsed forward with her chin held high and he realized he had to give it to her. Had he been in the same situation... He stopped, shaking his head as his mother brushed past him, squeezing his arm in dismissal and he nodded, leaving the two women and making his way back towards the kitchens.

He had hardly had time to take the elf offered hangover potion and a small nibble of a sandwich when his mother's voice called to him from above and he sighed as he walked back up the steps and in to the drawing room.

"Yes?" he asked, looking only at his mother.

"Draco, Miss Granger is here... well, why don't you tell him?"

He startled then, looking to Granger and then back to his mother and he saw his mother's face was paler than normal and he perked up.

His father, having been a convicted death eater, was currently serving his time in Azkaban, and though he had heard the rumors, that things had changed at the prison, he still felt unease creep through his being at the look on his mother's face.

"I-That is-" Granger started uncomfortably and he saw her shift in her chair as he met her gaze. "As you may know, I work for the ministry in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures-"

He scoffed, of course he knew, everyone knew the bloody swot was working to free the house elves or whatever the hell she was doing. There wasn't one edition of the Daily Prophet that left out the happenings of Potter and his pets.

"Right." She said, noticing his face. "Anyway, there have been some... happenings recently that have alerted our office to the fact that there may be some danger-"

"Just get on with it." Draco snapped, his head still protesting being vertical.

Her eyes narrowed and he could tell she was really holding back, a fact which made him smirk ever so, but she finally relented. "House elves are being murdered _Malfoy_ , and there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the attacks at all. We just want to sound the alarm so to speak... hopefully curb this before it becomes something more."

"Murdered you say?" Draco asked, his eyes flitting to his mother and he knew why she was so stiff and wan, no doubt thinking of Ninny, the house elf who had practically raised her. "Why don't you bloody catch the filth committing the acts… or is that what you're doing? Going around, gauging people's reactions, trying to weed out the possible culprits. Tell me this, _Granger_ , are we at the top of your list?"

"Draco." His mother said sternly from the chair, not so much as a reprimand but a warning. He knew his family was already in hot water but damned if he wouldn't drown in it before he let some muggleborn bitch accuse his family.

"No." Granger replied hotly, standing up and shouldering her pack. "In fact, you weren't. Aurors are working on figuring out who is behind the acts-"

"By Aurors you mean your precious Potter and Weasel?"

"And I simply wanted to ensure that families had a way to protect those who work for them, who may not be able to defend themselves against such a senseless attack..." She ignored him as she turned on her heel and started towards the door.

He looked to his mother, who shook her head ever so slightly and he sighed as he pushed away from the hearth and headed after her.

"Granger." He called as he hurried his steps, just as she turned the corner towards the front door and he skidded after her, grabbing her arm just as she opened the heavy oak front door.

She reeled, yanking her arm out of his grasp with a gasp and turning to face him angrily as her bag slipped from her shoulder. "Don't you _dare_ touch me."

He relented, putting his hands up in front of him and taking a step back.

"I was simply-" She huffed, tossing her bag back as the contents spilled out and she sighed as she bent down to start scooping them up. "doing my job."

Draco rolled his eyes but bent down nonetheless as he picked up the unassuming black book that had fallen at his feet.

"Don't touch that." She snapped, yanking it out of his grasp and shoving it back inside her bag. "Just... keep an eye on your elves."

Before he could answer she had flung herself out of the door and with a 'pop' she was gone.

 **A/N: Again, please let me know what you think and if I should continue! If I do continue, the second chapter will be much longer!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

 **A/N: So not a huge response last chapter. I'd love to know why! Anyone?**

 **Draco  
-Past-**

The screaming woke him.

He sat up, reliving nightmares of silent screams and blood stained floors, his stomach churning and his heart beating too quick in his chest. His door burst open, his wide eyed mother stumbling in. He was up in a second, the blankets tangling around his legs as he grasped his mother's upper arms.

"Dr-Draco..."

"Are you hurt?" He asked, taking in the sight of her blood stained dress as she trembled in his hands. " _Mother_. Are you hurt?"

She shook her head, the sobs that wracked her body completely cutting off her voice as she pointed out the door. He helped her up, setting her down on the settee at the end of his bed as he palmed his wand and slowly left the room, waiting for an attack.

He walked slowly, the light from his wand illuminating his path as he made his way down the hall and straight in to the puddle of blood. His stomach rolled as he caught sight of the house elf, the knife stuck deeply in her gut, her eyes unseeing. Ninny.

"Meeky." He called and the small house elf appeared beside him almost instantaneously, tears streaming from her eyes. "What happened?"

"Meeky did not see Master Mafloy... Meeky only hears." She said and Draco had trouble hearing through her sobs.

Sighing he reached down, turning the little elf around and kneeling down in front of her. "What did you hear Meeky?"

"Screaming..." She sobbed and Draco reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"I need you to do something for me Meeky..."

"Anything for Master Malfoy."

"Find Hermione Granger? Bring her here as quick as you can... please." He added the last word as an afterthought, turning his back on the surprised little elf before he made his way back up to his mother, letting her cry in to his shoulder until she had fallen asleep against him and he covered her with a blanket, leaving her on his settee as he left the room to wait for Granger and hoped that he had made the right decision.

* * *

She was still in her pyjamas when he arrived, holding Meeky's hand lightly as she gripped her wand in the other hand.

"Malfoy?" She asked once she had finally regained her footings. "What-"

He sighed, setting his glass of amber liquid down on the stairs as he stood up, pulling himself up to his full height. "Come with me Granger."

She glanced around, noting the small elf still shaking at her side and he saw her hesitate as he turned and walked back to the room where the murdered elf still lay. He could hear her footsteps however, letting him know that she had decided to follow him after all and when he came to a sudden stop, he felt her collide in to his back.

"I didn't know who else to call..." He trailed off and he heard her sharp intake of breath as she took in the scene before her.

"Oh my God..." She trailed off, her voice higher than normal and he bit back the scoff that threatened to escape his mouth at the swear. "Who would do this?"

He looked at her, his frown deepening before he finally looked back to the scene on the floor before him, his jaw clenched as he replied. "I don't know Granger. I was hoping you would tell me."

* * *

"Is she alright?" Granger's voice was soft in his ear as she handed him the warm cup, her eyes locked on his mother in the corner of the room, staring despondently in to the fire.

He grunted, sipping the drink in his hand as he turned away from her, back to the room full of aurors who stayed away from the pair of Malfoy's in the house.

"I didn't... I didn't even think about-" Granger said awkwardly and he turned his head minutely to meet her gaze before turning back to the wizards and witches who had invaded his home.

"What? Potter and Weasel couldn't make it today?" He asked scathingly and he saw her posture tighten at the mention.

She didn't respond however and when next he looked she had moved away from them, back in to the throng of people who had invaded his home, the ones who wouldn't dare step foot near him or his mother, or offer them tea.

He watched them work, taking in their hurried steps and nervous glances, as they cleaned up the mess left behind, even after the house elf had been moved. Then his eyes found her, as she poured over pages of notes, the tip of her quill between her teeth as she thumbed through the thick stack of parchment and yet as he looked at her she looked up, catching his gaze before he turned around, turning his back to the flurry of magical folk and Hermione Granger.

* * *

"You can't go in there!" Draco ignored the witch yelling from behind her desk as he marched in to Granger's office, letting the door slam shut behind him as he did.

" _Granger_." He said with a sneer and she jumped as she swiped at her eyes, tossing something in her desk drawer as she stood up too quickly.

"Malfoy, what are you-"

"I want answers. Since you've been ignoring my owls."

"I have not been-" she started indignantly.

"My mother is terrified in her own home. I want to know what you've come up with."

Granger snorted and rolled her eyes. "Like you care what _I've_ done. Your mother is terrified of the aurors who may come knocking.."

Draco stormed forward, slamming his hands down on her desk as he leaned his face closer to hers. "Come off it Granger. Stop acting like a know-it-all little swot because in reality, you know _nothing_."

"I know that one of your help is dead and if your mother can't be bothered to make a cup of tea-"

"My mother saved Potter's life." He snarled as Granger laughed bitterly.

"To save _yours_."

"My mother loved that damn elf." He roared, pushing off the desk and away from Granger. "She was the youngest of three siblings Granger, you really think either of them cared much for her once they grew? Her own parents didn't have the time for her until my father took an interest. That elf was the closest thing to family she had left..."

Granger swallowed and stood up, crossing her arms over her chest loosely. "They've closed the case Malfoy."

"What?" He asked in disbelief.

"It's true." She said, sighing as she reached down to pick up a heavy folder and passing it over to him. "They think it's a string of suicides stemming from the fact that since we've started regulating laws for the elves they've become despondent, and prone to self harm."

"Ninny wouldn't." He said hotly, flipping through the papers in his hands.

Hermione shrugged. "I didn't think so either..."

"This is signed by the Weasel."

"Yes, well _Ronald_ feels like our time is best spent elsewhere."

"And Potter agrees?"

Hermione bit her lip, looking away from him, the only answer he _really_ needed as he let out a curse.

"Malfoy, I can't... I have to _know_." She said suddenly and really, he wanted to laugh because of all people to say that of course it would be her. In reality though, he knew exactly how she felt. "I didn't return your owls because I've been trying to work on it myself. In the mean time I've gotten some other cases and I just- I'm swamped."

"I'll help." He said quickly, his mind catching up to his tongue too late as he realized he had just told _Hermione Granger_ that he wanted to help her. The thought made him ill.

"I- okay." She said, surprise coloring her tone as she sat back down in her chair and started pulling out parchment and folders and stacking them up on her desk.

Draco's eyes widened as he took in the sight of the stacks she was collecting for him. Even as he left that night, however, his arms laden with papers and parchments that seemed larger than he was, He realized the thought of working with Granger wasn't as nauseating as he had once thought it would be.

 **Hermione  
-Present-**

"I don't understand-"

"Once she comes to we should be able to gauge-"

"Just tell me what it is-"

The voices slowly began to become more clear as Hermione came to, the cacophony only exacerbating the headache that was _still_ plaguing her before they slowly faded out again. She sighed as she shifted, trying to replay the events that had unfolded just before she lost consciousness and sighing when everything just seemed to become even more confusing.

"There, there dear." She turned her head, meeting the kind gaze of the elderly witch who was mixing up a potion beside her bed. "This should take care of that headache I'm sure you're feeling."

Hermione sat up slightly as the witch handed her the goblet and downed the potion in one gulp, welcoming the relief the thick, green liquid provided. "What happened?"

The witch _tsked_ sadly and shook her head as she took the cup back from Hermione's hand. "That's what we're trying to figure out..."

Hermione watched as the witch took her cart and wheeled it out of the room, the voices floating in through the door once more as it opened and then shut again.

Sighing she pushed her blankets back, testing out the potion as she set her feet on the floor and made her way over to the doorway, opening it just a crack as she peered out in to the sterile hallway.

Her heart stopped as she took in the sight of Harry face to face with Draco Malfoy and for a second, her hand moved towards her wand, only to realize it wasn't in her possession. Before she could rectify it however, Harry reached out, clasping Malfoy's shoulder firmly and saying something to make the pale, pointed man nod dejectedly.

Hermione breathed out heavily, moving back to the bed she had woken in and settling herself on the edge as she willed herself to breathe.

Things were backwards. Things weren't right.

What the _hell_ was going on?

And why could she not _remember_.

"'Mione?" Harry's voice filled the room and before she could even think she was on her feet, her arms wrapped around his familiar shoulders as she breathed in his scent.

"Harry..." She sobbed, hiccuping in to his shoulder as he reassuringly rubbed her back.

"S'okay 'Mione."

"I just... I don't know what's happening to me."

"Shh... Shhh, we'll figure it out."

And as he held her against him, she could only hope that he was right.

* * *

"So you don't remember anything?" Harry asked, perched on the side of her bed as she toyed with a loose string on her blanket.

"I just.. I remember being with you and Ron..."

Harry's jaw clenched slightly at her words but she continued on.

"And Fred... Oh Harry... Fred?"

Harry met her eyes, nodding sadly and she buried her face in her hands. "Ginny?"

"She's.. she's fine." He said, a hint of something Hermione couldn't quite place in his voice. "Hermione-"

"What aren't you telling me Harry?"

"The healers said-"

"Damn the healers Harry. I've known you since we were children and you're hiding something from me. What the hell aren't you telling me and where is Ronald?"

Harry sighed, his shoulders sagging before he turned to her, taking her hands in to his and rubbing his thumbs along her knuckles gently.

"Hermione, everything you just said you remember, it happened, it did. But Hermione, it happened years ago."

"But-" She trailed off, her brain warring with her body as she tried to recall something, _anything_ , and failed. "It can't."

"I'm sorry 'Mione." He said, his words soft as he reached out, pulling her in to his side as she sat, shocked.

The minutes passed in silence, her breathing ragged as she fought against whatever it was that was keeping her memories from her. But then, her first time waking up played in her mind and she stiffened.

"Harry... why did I wake up in Draco Malfoy's house?"

"Er..." He edged and she pulled away to give him a glare. "Hermione… he's your husband."

* * *

"Ginny." Hermione breathed as the red head woman flurried in to the room, wrapping her arms around her.

"'Mione. I was so worried." She whispered against her friends head as they hugged and Hermione let go of her to pull back, taking in her friend's face first and the rest of her last.

"Oh Ginny... You're..." She reached out, her hand gently touching the swell of her friend's abdomen.

Ginny smiled and rested her own hand on the bump that resided under her jumper. "Third one.."

"Third?" Hermione exclaimed.

"James is four and Albus is almost two..."

"Oh Ginny..." Hermione breathed. "I feel like I've missed so much."

"Harry said.. but I didn't think..." Ginny started, squeezing Hermione's hand as her eyes welled with tears.

"He won't tell me anything Ginny.. I just.. I have no idea what's going on right now. I know I'm in St. Mungo's but I don't... what else is going on? He said.." She swallowed. "He said I'm married to Draco Malfoy. Please Ginny..."

Ginny gave her a small, sad smile and reached out to push a stray curl behind her ear. "You have the most beautiful children Hermione. Leo is almost four and your mini-me. He can already _read_ 'mione. And Lyra is two and a spit fire to put it lightly. She looks like Draco though, but her hair is curly, like yours."

"How did this happen?" she cried, pulling her hands from Ginny's as a knock sounded on the door.

She watched as it opened slowly and Harry walked in. It wasn't Harry that gave her pause however as Malfoy stalked in behind him, letting the door shut too loudly behind them.

"'Mione." Harry nodded and moved to sit beside her bed as Ginny got up to make room for Malfoy.

"No Harry, I still don't remember anything." Hermione said brusquely, cutting off the man before he had even gotten air into his lungs to ask. "And I still don't understand what is going on."

"Neither do we." Malfoy spoke up finally and Hermione felt her heart stutter a bit at the sound of his voice, as though somehow, she should recognize it. "You came home late last night and this morning..."

He gestured around him and Hermione glanced to her friends for confirmation as both nodded.

"We're figuring it out though Hermione, I promise you, we are doing _everything_ we can.." Harry's voice was soft and sure.

"Where's Ron?" The question left her tongue before she had even known it was coming and she saw both men in the room stiffen slightly, but neither offered an explanation. "Ginny?"

"He's at home." The woman offered with a smile and Hermione felt comforted, at least by that, as she relaxed a little in to the pillow behind her and her eyelids began to grow heavy.

Harry promised her, again, that they were working on figuring out what had happened to her lost memories as sleep slowly invaded and as she drifted off, she could have sworn she felt the slightest pressure on her forehead as the smell of sandalwood and rain surrounded her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **A/N: I absolutely _love_ that some of you are questioning things. That's what I'm hoping for in this story. There are so many possibilities and I hope that I've written this in a way that you can make your guesses as well as enjoy the story! Also, this chapter is set up a little different. I had a friend read it before I posted and she thought it might be too disjointed for some readers to enjoy and the chapters had originally been planned to be shorter but I changed my mind. So, please review and let me know if you liked the set up of 1 or 2 better. I may edit this if I get enough of one way or another. Don't be afraid to give me your honest opinions! I don't bite... much.  
And lastly, I'm not British. At all. (Native American actually) And thus I used a term in this chapter that may or may not fit well but it fit well into my story. Sorry if it's cheesy, hopefully you'll see what I mean when you get there!  
HAPPY READING!  
**

 **Chapter 3  
Hermione  
-Present-  
**

"I want to bring in your children." The healer was saying. "See if that can't stir a memory of some kind."

"But I've already seen the children." Hermione said quietly, picking at the threads in her blanket once again as she fought to control the shakiness in her voice.

"Yes, well under different circumstances, I believe it might help break whatever curse-"

"So it's definitely a curse then?" Harry piped up from beside her.

"I didn't say that Mr. Potter but... I do believe that all signs are pointing to that, yes. We weren't able to pick up any inclination of injury in the muggle brain pictures..." Hermione giggled lightly at that, ignoring Harry's pained smile, "and my hope is that it's a simple case of a backfired curse.."

"Wait..." Hermione said quickly. "Lockhart, he had a backfired curse and..."

"Don't worry 'Mione." Harry reassured her. "You're already way ahead of where you'd be if it was the same..."

"Yes, I do believe Mr. Potter is correct Mrs. Mal-"

"Granger." She cut in, shuddering at the thought of her being called _Mrs. Malfoy_.

"Very well, Ms. Granger, I'll send word to your hu-to Mr. Malfoy to bring the children."

"Actually, Healer Sands, I'll let him know." Harry said quickly, standing up from beside the bed and glancing towards Hermione. "He's at our place with Gin and the kids. I need to go home and check in and I'll relay the message then."

Hermione merely nodded and let him kiss her forehead before he walked out of the door and disappeared from sight.

She sat like that, staring at the door for what seemed like hours before she finally saw him. He was taller, not as lanky, and his cheeks had filled out some but he was standing in her doorway, wearing a grin.

"So's it true?" Ron asked, smiling at her from where he leaned against the doorframe. "The great Hermione Granger can't remember her own name?"

She rolled her eyes. "Even if I couldn't, you just told me... oh nevermind."

He laughed as he walked further in to the room and sat down beside her, making himself comfortable in the chair while she watched in mildly amused irritation.

"Would you just stop already?" She laughed as he wiggled around yet again, narrowing his eyes at her outburst.

"Well some things you haven't forgotten." he laughed. "So what _did_ you forget?"

"Oh, I don't know, Harry defeating Voldemort, Getting a promotion, marrying yours and Harry's nemesis."

Ron's jaw clenched at that and he sat up straighter. "Having his spawn?"

She watched him intently, his blue eyes flashing, "That too. Is this a sore subject?"

His eyes narrowed but he finally, slowly, relented with a stiff nod. "You could say that."

"I'm sorry, I wish that I..."

Ron shook his head and reached out, grabbing hold of her hand softly. "It's not your fault..."

She watched as his fingers gripped hers and suddenly she saw him kneeling in front of her, the ring slipping on her finger easily as the people around them erupted in to applause and he stood up to pull her against him, capturing her lips with his.

She gasped and he let go of her quickly as the door burst open once again and she looked just in time to see Malfoy staring angrily from the door, a baby girl clinging to his neck as he stared at the scene before him.

Hermione coughed as she looked between the two, realization dawning on her face. She wasn't sure what had happened but somehow she had ended up with Draco Malfoy, despite the fact that she had said yes to Ron Weasley.

 _Shit._

 **Draco**  
 **-Past-**

Draco had poured over the papers, twice. He was coming up empty handed just as Granger had guessed he would when he had asked for the rest of her files a day previous. He sighed, tossing the file he was currently holding back on his desk as he stood up and made his way to the bottle on his left, pouring himself a generous glass.

"Already?" He whirled around at the sound of the voice, smirking as he met Blaise's gaze and with a tilt of his hand drained the amber liquid he had just poured from his glass in one swift drink.

"Never too early." Draco sneered, moving back to his desk as his friend followed suit, settling himself down in the chair opposite Draco's desk.

"I believe your father once said the same thing." Blaise's tone was joking but his eyes were guarded, knowing that Lucius was a sore subject for the man before him.

Draco ignored the man, leaning back in his chair. "What do you want Blaise?"

"Is it so wrong of me to want to check in on a friend."

"Ha." Draco laughed sardonically, eyeing the man before him. There were many things Draco would consider himself, _friend_ however, was not one of them.

Blaise laughed, moving back to a standing position, his eyes lingering before he reached out, his finger touching the stack of parchment on Draco's desk. "Is this... is this the house elf case?"

Draco grunted in affirmation, standing up himself and moving back to the decanter, gesturing to Blaise with an empty glass who shook his head. "Granger gave it to me."

"Draco, this is…they've closed this case for a reason."

"A really _stupid_ reason." Draco confirmed, starting in on his second drink.

"No, that's the thing. Draco, Weasley had Potter close these for a reason..."

Draco perked up, his drink forgotten as he crossed closer to his friend. "You think.. you think there's more to it?"

Blaise nodded, meeting Draco's gaze. "I know that Shacklebolt agreed with him and that they're suspicious. Just... if you're going to keep doing this, be careful. Don't get tangled up in something you can't get yourself out of."

"Don't I always?" Draco huffed and Blaise laughed as the two continued on, talking about things that held little or no importance before finally, the other man took his leave, making Draco promise, once again, to look out for himself.

He was sure that Blaise's words were meant to scare him away from the case, to keep him at a distance. They had had the opposite effect however, and later that evening as Draco sat down for dinner with his mother, he couldn't help but think that maybe he should call on Granger and find out what she knew.

 **Hermione  
-Present-  
**

"Weasel." Draco sneered as he moved further in to the room, shifting the little girl around in his arms as his gaze met Hermione's.

" _Malfoy_." Ron ground out, his teeth clenched as he stood up, letting go of Hermione's hand. "I have to get going 'Mione. I'll... see you around."

Hermione felt the loss of his hand as soon as hers was released but she let him go, staring at the newcomers as Ron left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Where's.. where's the older one?" Hermione asked, eyeing the man before her.

She saw the look that flashed in his eyes but when he looked down to the baby in his arms and back up to her, it was gone.

"Leo is with Ginny... I thought that it would be… easier." He explained and Hermione felt herself release a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding as she nodded.

It was then, as the two adults stared at each other that the baby in his arms seemed to notice her and she made a move for her, her arms stretched wide as she reached for the woman with a cry.

"Lyra..." she said softly and watched as the little girl moved easily from Draco's arms to the bed, climbing up her legs until she was even with her face. "How did I? I mean…how did we come up with that?"

Draco reached up, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand as he moved to sit in the chair beside her bed. "It wasn't easy. We uh.. we fought about it, often actually. We had decided on Cassiopeia at first but when she was born, it was like, we just knew what her name was _supposed_ to be."

" _Cassiopeia_?" She scoffed and Draco let out a hearty chuckle, the sound stirring something she couldn't quite place deep within her.

"I believe I said the same thing." He said, watching as the little girl snuggled in beside Hermione, her head resting on her chest as she stuck three fingers in her mouth with a toothy grin.

"I just- I don't understand any of this." Hermione sighed. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Nothing?" Draco's voice was low and sad and Hermione shook her head.

"I think... I think I remembered something." She said, noting that he looked up at her quickly, hopefully. "With Ron I mean. He was here and he held my hand and..."

Draco's eyes narrowed, his lips pursed, and he reached out taking the baby from her side and protectively wrapping her in his arms.

"I'm sorry." Hermione said quietly. "I wish I knew..."

She trailed off, because she wasn't sure. Because nothing made sense. And she wasn't sure it ever would.

 **Draco**  
 **-Past-**

"Chips?" Hermione asked, holding the paper out to him, with a shrug he snagged one – having already demolished his own- and ignored her smirk. "So you didn't find anything?"

"No. And can you tell me where we're going please?" He asked again as she shook her head.

It had been a week since he had reviewed Granger's files with a fine toothed comb and still come up short, his mother had finally began sleeping through the night once more and when Granger had flooed to tell him she had an idea, he hadn't been too worried about picking up and leaving with her. Until, that is, she refused to tell him where she was leading him, only that she would need his help. He presumed they would have already been wherever it was they were going, had it not been for the last minute dodge in to the chipper because Granger, of course, had been too busy reading to grab lunch earlier in the day.

"You'll see soon enough. I promise." She said vaguely and they continued on in relative silence, broken only by the quiet sound of her chewing.

"You're disgusting." Draco finally said as she licked her greasy fingers. She paused for a moment in her steps before she realized the reason for his outburst and he watched as she spit her tongue out at him and then licked her fingers once more.

Draco cringed but laughed despite himself before he stopped, coughing to cover up the chortle that had left his throat as if by accident.

"You don't have to do that, you know." Hermione said quietly as she crumpled her paper up and tossed it in to a near-by receptacle.

"What?"

Hermione gauged him, her eyes looking at him intensely as they walked. " _That_. I know, as well as anyone that you were a prat in school, but you're different now. Everyone knows it. You don't have to pretend that you're still _that_ guy."

He tensed, shoving his hands even further in to his pockets. "I'm not pretending…"

Because he wasn't, not really. But he couldn't tell her the real reason everything seemed to come harder to him. Not when he couldn't even admit it to himself.

She studied him again as they walked and he refused to meet her gaze, letting her come to her own conclusions about his answer because it was easiest. It was then, as they were walking, that he saw the crack in the concrete they were almost on top of and he stopped quickly, reaching out to grasp Granger's upper arm, pulling her against him as she stumbled on her feet.

"Mind the gap." He said, nodding his head towards the path as Granger burst with laughter and his brows furrowed.

"Mind...The...gap." she laughed as tears sprang to her eyes and for a moment he worried about her sanity before she swiped at her eyes and pushed away from his body. "Oh Draco..."

He never did find out the reason for her amusement as she carried on with their journey, his mind still focused on the fact that it was the first time he had ever heard her call him Draco.

 **Hermione  
-Present-  
**

"There now, don't you feel better?" the old witch asked kindly as she helped Hermione settle back down in the bed. She had been unceremoniously pushed in to the shower and produced with a clean gown and deposited back in to her room. She should have felt comfortable, but instead she felt even more out of place than she had before.

"When will I have to leave?" Hermione asked the witch who handed her a potion she could only assume was meant to help relax her.

"Oh, musn't worry about that right now dear." The old witch said kindly, patting her soothingly on the shoulder. "Just worry about getting back. To your old self."

Hermione swallowed. How the hell was she supposed to get back to her old self when she couldn't even remember who her old self was. "I just…. I want to see my friends. My _parents._ "

The old witch shifted uncomfortably and Hermione felt her heart squeeze as the door opened and Malfoy walked in.

"Everything alright?" He drawled and Hermione felt the hot tears prick at her lashes as she fought them back with a nod. "I brought some clothes... some things of yours."

The old witch patted Malfoy comfortingly on the shoulder before leaving the room with her cart and for a moment, Hermione considered calling for her to return.

"Thank you." She finally squeaked out instead as Malfoy moved further in to the room.

"Are you... are you alright?"

She bit her lip, nodding, and fought against the tears and despite her efforts a few leaked out, trailing down her cheeks which seemed to just unleash the flood gates. Malfoy was by her side in an instant and before she could protest his thumbs were brushing away the tears gently. It was a side she could say she had never seen of the blonde man before and one that seemed far too natural to be a ploy or an act. Almost as if on instinct she felt herself lean in to his touch ever so slightly as he continued to brush away the tears.

Then, her brain kicked in and she pulled back, his hand falling limply to his side as she sniffed back her tears. "I'm s-sorry. I just... I'm a mess."

"You're not though." He said firmly. "We're going to figure this out 'Mione. I promise."

She started at the sound of her nickname on his lips but pushed it out of her mind. "What if they don't... what if they never figure out what's happened?"

He pursed his lips and she could tell that it was something he had thought about, and the outcome, she was afraid did not look good.

They sat in relative silence for some time before Malfoy shifted, pulling his arms out of his pants pockets with a sigh, checking his watch.  
Hermione stiffened at the sight of his arm, not of his watch, but of the dark mark that adorned his arm.  
"They said it will fade. Eventually. Last time we... well you said it looked it like was lighter."

She snorted and he glared at her from where he stood, and she realized that she was much more comfortable in his presence when he was acting like this. Like the Malfoy from her school days.

"Do you doubt me?" He snarled. "Do you doubt the ring on your finger or the children who call you mum?"

She looked down to the ring adoring her finger. Of course she had noticed it before. Even taken it off, but her finger felt naked without it, despite the implications so it had remained. A testament to her body's memory of something she had no recollection of. An emerald green reminder of something she had lost. "I don't doubt that I was married to you. Not anymore..."

"But?"

"But the fact remains that I remember being engaged to Ron only to wake up in your bed. Something doesn't add up Malfoy."

"Why? Because you didn't marry the Weasel git?"

"Don't call him that." She seethed. "And it's more than that, it's that I married _you_."

"Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Because you're a _death eater._ You're a horrible person who loved to torment me for something I couldn't help. Not to mention that the last thing I really remember about you is that you let your aunt torture me in your mansion." she roared, her voice hoarse and she saw his eyes narrow and his shoulders stiffen.

"'Mi-"

"Don't." she cut him off. "Just... go. Please."

Before he could protest she rolled herself over, facing the opposite wall and ignoring his eyes on her back as she let the tears fall from her eyes and her fingers played with the ring on her finger before she slowly pulled it off and set it on the table beside the bed. It was only then that she heard his footsteps and when she looked back, he had finally gone.

 **A/N: So there's Ron!** **Review please?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

 **A/N: I love you all. Sending virtual cookies or hugs. Or both. Please review! Let me know what you think!**

 **Chapter 4**

 **Draco  
-Past-  
**

"Read it." She commanded and he opened his mouth to obey but she nudged him, too hard, with her elbow. "Not out loud."

He rolled his eyes but read it to himself and looked back up at her, she nodded, snatching it out of his hands and touching the tip of her wand to the parchment which burned to ashes that floated silently to the ground.

"Now think of it." Her voice was whispered against the cool night air and no sooner than he did as she said the building sprung up before him. Gloomy and Foreboding. He looked at Hermione uneasily, only to see her smiling largely. "Come on."

Confused, he followed as she climbed up the steps and directly through the front door.

"Grimmauld place?" He asked as she shut the door behind them and she stopped in surprise but nodded.

"How-"

"Yaxley." He ground out and realization dawned on her face.

"It doesn't matter. It's been cleaned out." She assured. "They put protective charms on it too. It can't be found unless the person has pure intent. It's a protection, you see. Highly advanced magic…"

"For Potter."

"Well, yes." Hermione edged and then she sneezed.

He smirked and reached in to his pocket, pulling the handkerchief from his pocket and passing it to her.

"Sorry. Dust. They've been working on it and-" She sneezed again, catching it in his handkerchief quickly just as the house elf appeared before them.

"Master is not home." he leaned down, his long nose brushing the floor as he muttered lowly under his breath, words that Draco was fairly certain had been declared illegal after the war.

"Draco, meet Kreacher," she supplied simply before she turned to face him more, "He's not too fond of me, as you can see."

Draco glared at the little elf, still cursing Granger under his breath until he noticed the man watching him.

"Aw, Master Draco. Of the noble house of Malfoy."

Draco scoffed, his lineage was many things but he was sure that noble wasn't one of them. Not now.

"Kreacher, we were wondering..." Granger started as the elf looked back at her and started muttering under his breath again. She met his gaze, exasperatedly, and motioned to the elf and suddenly he understood why she had requested his help after all.

"Kreacher." Draco commanded and the elf immediately stopped grumbling under his breath to look at the man before him. "Hermione needs to ask you some questions and I request that you answer her without speaking ill of her or her blood."

Kreacher growled under his breath but nodded and turned back to Granger who was looking at Draco curiously.

"Right. Kreacher, Draco's family has lost a house elf, we believe she was murdered. Several other families have as well. Kreacher, we need to know if you know anything. Anything at all."

"Kreacher knows only that they deserved it…"

Draco bit back a retort as Kreacher continued lowly disparaging the deceased house elves before Granger finally continued on.

"Kreacher, do you know _who_ is behind the attacks?"

The house elf paused, eyeing Malfoy carefully, before he finally shook his head. "Only that the punishment is just and fair."

Draco turned away from the pair, chewing on the inside of his cheek as Hermione finished up her questioning and finally, told Kreacher she had asked all she needed. He only turned around when he heard him disappear.

"Are you okay?" Her voice was soft and he jumped when he felt her hand slip on to his arm.

"Ninny would never.. she would never have betrayed our family... my mother."

Granger nodded, "I know Draco."

He cleared his throat, reigning in his emotions before he turned back to face her. "Well, that was an enormous waste of time."

"Well... not necessarily." she bit her lip and he could almost see the wheels turning in her mind. "I just.. need to get to the library."

"Of course." He rolled his eyes, his tone teasing and he saw the smirk that passed her lips.

"Can you, can you make it home alright?" She asked and he nodded as they walked back through the house and out of the front door.

She smiled as they walked down the path and out of the front gate, making sure to close it behind them and before he could protest she reached out, grabbing his hand and squeezing it once before she let go and stepped forward, disapparating on the spot.

 **Hermione  
-Present-**

The healers were perplexed. They were sure that something- someone- had taken Hermione's memories. However, the _how_ was the question with which they were struggling. For taking someone's memories to the extent that they were facing with her could – and would- cause serious damage. They had seen it with Gilderoy Lockhart who was still working on joined up writing and drooled on himself half the day. However, for all intents and purposes, she was fine.

Relatively speaking.

A week had passed and Malfoy hadn't returned and Hermione tried to tell herself that it didn't upset her.

Harry stopped by nearly every day, giving her updates on both his work at the ministry as well as her own case plus telling her anecdotes about their past. He avoided the subject of Malfoy, and while she wished she could say she was grateful, she also sometimes wished he would just tell her everything he knew.

Ron was also a frequent visitor and while he was not as often as Harry, Hermione found herself looking forward to his visits as well. The two would often play exploding snap or wizard's chess, avoiding the issues at hand. It was a welcome relief, but one she knew wouldn't last long.

It wasn't until the ninth day that things started to change. She had just returned to her room from a trip outside, relishing in the cool air that was absent from her stuffy and windowless room, when Malfoy walked in.

Without a word he handed her the book, an unassuming black bounded journal and she took it from him with shaky hands. "It's been a while since you've written in it..."

Carefully she opened the cover, noting immediately the scrawling on the front, noting it as hers, caused her vision to haze and suddenly the memory pushed forward. Of her mother and father embracing her as they gave her the journal and with a kiss, put her on the train back to Hogwarts. It was the last time she had seen her parents as her parents, that much she remembered and her eyes met Malfoy's quickly. "My parents?"

"They haven't told you?" He asked, his voice deep and raw and she shook her head. "What do you remember?"

"I obliviated them..."

Malfoy nodded. "Potter didn't tell you?'

"Tell me what Malfoy?" She asked, her voice hard.

He sighed and gestured for her to stand up. "Come with me."

Silently he left the room and she waited for half a beat before she followed him down the quiet hallways. Wherever they were going was on the same floor, she noted, as he passed both the lifts and the stairs and then he turned the corner and approached the desk that sat there, talking to the young witch who looked at him with wide eyes.

The young blonde girl smiled up at him and for a moment she felt her stomach clench at the way he leaned in to her, speaking softly and she laughed in return before she nodded, tossing her long silky hair over her shoulder. She shook it away quickly, refusing to let her body feel the jealousy that seemed to want to take over. Before she could think on it too much Malfoy turned and beckoned for her to follow him as he led her through the heavy double doors on the opposite end of the room.

"Where are we-" Her question died on her tongue as he opened a door to a room and she glanced inside.

The woman was not the woman she remembered. Her once beautiful brown curls now hung both limply and knotted around her shoulders and her face was aged with lines.

"Mum?" Hermione squeaked, moving in to the room as the woman continued to stare out of the window. "Mum?"

Tears poured from her eyes as she sat next to the woman, taking her hands in her own and begging for the woman to acknowledge her. She barely registered Malfoy's hand on her shoulder through her sobs and she sat there until she had nothing left to cry and her energy was gone and yet still, the woman made no move to recognize her.

"What happened?" Hermione finally asked, knowing Malfoy would give her the answers she was looking for.

"You found them after, in Australia... but your father was gone and your mother was... like this. We found out that it was one of _them_. They managed to break the charms you had on them but not without consequences."

She felt the bile rise up her throat as she rounded on him. "One of _them_?"

"A death eater."

And then, the memory was there, easily picked from her brain as though it had been there all along. The memory of Harry holding her upright as they walked in to the house and found her father's body lying across the floor, her mother staring emptily out the window. Ron's voice, calling to her from what seemed like miles away until finally, she had collapsed against him, unable to hold herself up any longer.

"You mean one of _your lot_." She snarled, fighting back the tears at the memory and throwing his hand off of her shoulder.

He stepped away from her then and she saw his hand twitch towards the mark on his forearm that he swore would fade with time but she knew was too far ingrained in him to ever really leave and she turned back to her mother. "Leave."

"'Mione"

" ** _I said get out._**." She roared and she heard him swallow before he did just as she said, and again, she was alone.

 **Draco  
-Past-  
**

He hadn't seen Granger in a week. He wished he could say he didn't care. He told himself it was because of the case. The case he so desperately wanted to solve. His mother was slowly coming back to her old self and he wondered if the problem wasn't just Ninny's murder but the memories the event brought back. Memories he himself worked so hard to keep at bay.

His days passed by as they usually did, yet he found it easier to stomach the banality that each one brought as his mind worked through the details of the case and he spent copious amounts of time wondering on whether Granger had made any progress.

So on the eighth day, a Saturday, when he woke, he expected to spend the day in much the same way. Instead, he was woken by the house elf apparating directly in to his room. He groaned and shoved his head under his pillow. "It's a Saturday Topsy."

"Yes Master, Topsy is aware but Miss Granger is here to see you Master Malfoy."

He started at that, uncovering his head. "Where is she?"

Topsy stammered slightly and shifted his eyes to the door as though planning his escape before he answered. "Mistress Narcissa insisted that Miss Granger join her, Master Draco."

Quick as a flash he was on his feet, not even bothering to dress as he hurried out of his room and down the hall, his bare feet slipping on the tile in his haste as he skidded in to the drawing room he knew his mother had taken her to.

"Draco." His mother looked up at his entrance, smirking slightly at his frazzled appearance. "I believe you forgot to get dressed."

Granger looked around then, her eyes wide and he fought back the smirk that threatened his lips as he watched her eyes flit to his bare chest and the pink tint rise to her cheeks before she quickly looked away.

"I was just offering Miss Granger here some tea, why don't you go dress for the day and then join us..." Narcissa offered with a smile and Draco's eyes narrowed.

"Mother-"

"Oh Draco, please." Narcissa sighed, standing up and moving towards him as she lowered her voice. "I promise, I'll be…cordial."

He studied her intently for a few moments before deciding that she was indeed telling the truth before he looked to Granger. "Are you alright?"

She blushed again as she met his gaze but nodded quickly. "Perfectly fine Draco."

His mother looked between the two, her delicate eyebrow arched before she reached up, placing a kiss on his cheek. She then gently directed him back through the door towards his room. With one final glance at the women, he breathed and hurried on to his room, hoping Granger would still be there when he returned.

* * *

"I'll leave you to it then." His mother said with a smile, patting his cheek lovingly as she passed him and his eyes darted to where Granger sat holding her near empty tea cup.

"Are you okay?" he asked, moving around the chair to face her.

She smiled shakily at him but he could see the lone tear that was slowly making its way down her cheek and without thinking he reached out, his thumb brushing away the teardrop as she met his eyes.

"What did she say?" He demanded, anger building up inside of him inexplicably.

She laughed and shook her head at him. "She- she apologized... for your aunt."

His eyes went to the mark across her neck and then to her arm where he knew his aunt Bella had written the foul name across her flesh.

"It's still there..." She said quietly, her fingers brushing the material of her shirt. "I didn't- I didn't want to forget. What people are capable of. What _I'm_ capable of."

He swallowed thickly, nodding along. "I'm sorry too.. "

She set her cup down then, reaching out, her fingers grasping his as she lowered her voice. "Draco, what happened... it wasn't your fault. You were a pawn as much as Harry was... as much as any of us were. You did what you thought was best, to protect those you love."

He scoffed.

"No Draco. Look, I know as much as you that you were a... well, you were an arse back then, but you were raised thinking that muggles, muggleborns, that they were beneath you. In the end, it comes down to the fact that while you subscribed to that notion for half your life, something made you question that. You _questioned_ it Draco. And that proves that you aren't a bad as you would want others to believe. As you believe."

He breathed. "I didn't stop it."

"Could you have?" She asked, squeezing his fingers slightly and he exhaled, looking up at chandelier that hung above them.

"I could have done something. If not for Dumbledore then for you... here."

He jumped as he felt her hand on his cheek, pulling his eyes to hers. "They would have killed you. Family or not, they would have killed you. Your father. Perhaps your mother..."

He saw her choke up then, at the mention of his mother but she took a deep, shaky breath and pressed on.

"Before, on our way to Grimmauld Place, you said you weren't pretending to be who you were before. I thought you were lying but.. but you're not are you? You don't laugh, you don't smile because you feel...guilty. Is that it?"

He felt the lump form in his throat as she stared deep in to his eyes and finally, he nodded, just once. Because despite everything, she was right. He didn't let himself get close to people, he hadn't spoken to the few friends he _had_ had at Hogwarts in years because he knew he didn't deserve it. Not now, not ever.

"Draco, you listen to me." Granger said firmly, her hand still on his face. "Dumbledore was dying. He knew it and despite that, he wanted to save _you_. Not so that you could wallow in guilt for the rest of your life but so that you could _live_. He wouldn't want this."

"And you?"

"You saved us." She said quietly and he scoffed once more, pulling away from her.

"I watched as she carved that word in to your flesh, as you bled on to our marble floors, as she pressed the knife in to your neck. I _watched_."

"You said you didn't know if it was us. You gave us a _chance_ Draco. Harry knows it, I know it.."

"And Weasley?" He spat.

"Ron knows it too, he's just hard headed." She smirked. "Without you lying to them, we wouldn't be here. I'm sure of that. It would have ended so much differently, but you gave us our best chance. _You_ did that. No one was _forcing_ you."

He turned away from her, his eyes moving to the spot on the floor where she had laid. And though it was spotless now, he could have sworn he could still see the blood dripping from her wound. Her very bright red blood, that looked the same as his.

Before he could stop her, her hands gripped his arm and held him tight as she pulled up his shirt sleeve, revealing the ugly black mark that marred his pale white skin before she reached down with her own and raised up her own sleeve. "These are scars Draco, they don't define us."

He gazed at the letters dug in to her skin and his fingers moved of their own accord, resting on the lopsided 'M' lightly.

"They said it will fade, in time." He said of his own mark and he felt her fingers skim across the dark mark lightly. "I didn't want it too... I wanted it as a reminder of what kind of person I am."

"Draco-"

"But you're right." He cut her off quietly. "It doesn't define me. They don't define us..."

" _'It's our choices that show what we truly are..._ '" She pushed his sleeve back down, covering the ugly pattern and meeting his eyes. "You've made bad choices Draco but so have I; it's what we learn from those choices that's important."

They stood like that, her fingers wrapped around his for what felt like forever before finally, they let go and moved on to discussing what Hermione had discovered in the library. But even as they spoke, sitting across from each other, Draco couldn't help but remember the feel of her fingers ghosting across his skin. Not repulsed by the reminder of his past, but instead, willing to give him another chance. Willing to forgive.

 **A/N: I like the imagery of the word written on her skin. Sorry if that bothers anyone, I'm all about that imagery. Ha. Also, I know Kreacher may seem OOC after the events of DH, it was necessary to the story and may be a vital role. Who knows. One last thing, I am of the belief that Narcissa was a loving mother stuck in an abusive relationship. You may not agree, and that's okay but canonically she did put her life on the line for her son and the movies even glimpse into this before she lies to Voldemort and Draco, also, is shown to show affection to her and I think he loved her very much. So, it's my head cannon. Take it for what you will.**  
 _ **Italicized quote is from JK Rowling and is one of my favorite quotes in all of the series.** _


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own any thing.**

 **A/N: Sorry for the wait! Longer note at the bottom! Happy Reading!**

 **Chapter 5**

 **Hermione  
-Present-**

"Why did I not marry Ron?" Hermione asked Ginny as they sat with their tea, enjoying the breeze from the windows that had been opened to let some of the stale air out. They were sitting in the cafeteria. The other witch was sitting with her feet propped up, her saucer sitting on her growing belly.

Ginny eyed her curiously, sipping her tea in silence as she contemplated and Hermione knew that the woman was trying to decide what to tell her. "People grow apart 'Mione."

"But Ron and I?" She asked, shaking her head.

She couldn't remember anything that had happened between them after the first kiss she and Ron had shared and then the moment he had proposed. She found it hard to believe, in that moment, that she could feel anything but love for the boy she had grown up with. Yet somehow she had ended up with Malfoy, or so they told her. It just didn't make sense to her. The love she felt for Ron at that moment in time, after they had finally destroyed a horcrux, had leant Harry their help, it had been all consuming.

On the other hand, she could still remember Draco's sneer as he called her a mudblood. Yet, he couldn't be all bad, could he? She remembered, as she watched Ginny rubbing her belly absently, the Quidditch World cup, his thinly veiled warnings.

Then of Harry's recollection of the night in the astronomy tower. Of how Malfoy had lowered his wand. How he had gone against Voldemort's orders directly, despite the threat upon his family. That wasn't to mention the day at Malfoy Manor, how he had purposely lied to his aunt, not giving away their identities.

But then... then he had watched as his aunt held her down. When she had a knife pressed to her throat. Her eyes darted down to her arm, covered by the long sleeve thermal shirt that Malfoy had brought for her, and she knew the words were there, etched in to her skin.

"Look, the healers say that it's best not to tell you anything. To let you try to regain your memory by yourself but I'll tell you this; you're one of my best friends, and I wouldn't have let you do anything reckless or stupid. You love him Hermione and I know you'll find your way back to him."

"What if I don't Gin?" Hermione breathed, setting her cup down on the table with shaky hands. "I have _children_ Ginny. Children I don't even know, that I can't remember. Their birthdays, their first steps; I don't remember any of it. What if I never do?"

Ginny looked at her sadly and shook her long red hair, "You can't think like that..."

Hermione bit her tongue and nodded, not wanting to argue in that moment, but unable to shake the feeling that she was a lost cause.

* * *

"Where will I go?" She asked, tears brimming her eyes as she stared at the healer who had told her, gleefully, that she was being released and was now looking like she wished she hadn't been assigned this job.

"Well... home I presume."

"I don't even know where that is." Hermione shouted.

"'Mione?" She turned, meeting Harry's gaze and she rushed to him as he wrapped his arms around her. "What's going on?"

"They're releasing me." She hiccuped in to his shoulder and it was only then that she noticed Draco behind him, leaning against the wall in the hallway, looking anywhere but at her. Her heat sank at the thought that she was going to have to go home with him. Alone.

"I know but..."

"You know? Harry, I don't even know where I live and..."

"Hey," He said softly, pushing her away to stroke her hair. "You don't think we're going to let you go out there alone do you? You're coming home with us. Ginny is getting the room ready for you."

The relief hit her instantaneously and she sagged in his arms as he gave the witch behind her a nod and she assumed she returned to packing up the belongings Hermione had accumulated throughout her stay.

It wasn't until they had discharged her, with strict instructions to floo her healer with any changes, that she realized Malfoy was still there, still in the hallway and still not meeting her gaze. He didn't leave until Harry had pulled her with him in to the fireplace and thrown the powder in to the flames, and she watched his back as they disappeared behind the green flames.

* * *

"Aunt 'Mione!" James cried as soon as they had appeared in the room and she smiled as he collided with her knees and looked up at her. She smiled at the little boy who looked so like his father, with his mother's bright brown eyes. "Did you bring Leo?"

Her heart stuttered in her chest and she shook her head sadly. "No, I'm sorry, not this time."

The boy shrugged, still smiling. "It's okay."

She laughed a little and he pulled away as Ginny appeared behind him and then, much to her surprise, Ron followed.

"Hello 'Mione." He said quietly and Ginny shot him a look.

"Ron." She greeted, and moved further in to the room as Ginny put the kettle on.

"Good to see you outside of St. Mungo's." Ron laughed and then reached down to pick up the toddler at his feet, tickling Albus' belly and making the little boy laugh.

"You too." Hermione said with a smile.

"I was just telling Ron that Mum will be here soon. She's excited to see you."

"Oh, I hope I didn't interrupt any plans..."

"Nope." Harry said as he pulled out a chair at the table and settled in. "We have dinner here every Sunday. Everyone comes... er, if you aren't up to it though."

"No. I'd love to see everyone." Hermione said quickly, and she found she really meant it.

"Good." Harry said with a laugh. "Because they'll be here soon."

Ginny led Hermione out of the kitchen, and it was only then that she realized that they were in a barely recognizable Grimmauld place. She kept it to herself however as they wound through the halls and finally, Ginny opened the door, letting her in to the room she would inhabit. She showed her around the room before leaving her to settle in and after she left, Hermione sat down on the bed, exhaling as she let a few tears fall.

* * *

She followed the sound of laughter as she headed downstairs. She had managed to take a quick shower and change into a comfy pair of brown striped lounge pants and a soft, cream colored t-shirt before the din of voices had risen up to her, alerting her to the fact that dinner was approaching. Well, that and the growl of her stomach.

Entering the kitchen she pulled up short as she caught sight of the scene before her. Molly Weasley stood at the kitchen sink, washing a dish as she laughed heartily while Draco Malfoy stood beside her, drying the dishes in the muggle fashion as he too, laughed. Harry sat at the table, a toddler on each knee as he and George Weasley played a game. Ginny was stirring a pot on the stove, while Angelina Johnson sat on the counter beside her, sipping a butterbeer. Arthur Weasley was playing with James and two dark headed little children in the corner while Ron watched with a smile on his face. No one was any the wiser of her prescence and for a moment she took it all in. As though all the people were one big happy family. _Her_ happy family.

Her thoughts drifted back to her mother, to the empty shell she had seen at the hospital and her stomach twisted painfully.

"Oh Hermione." She jumped as the sound of Molly Weasley's voice pulled her away from her sad thoughts and she smiled as the woman hurriedly crossed the room, wrapping her up tightly.

Hermione welcomed the warm embrace as the smell of Mrs. Weasley seemed to grip her, comforting her aching bones.

"It's so good to see you dear." The woman breathed in to Hermione's hair. "We're so glad you're okay."

Hermione scoffed and Molly pulled away, holding her at arm's length as she examined her and Hermione saw so much in that gaze. Love and sadness, comfort and longing and Hermione realized that the woman was right, she was _okay_. Because as bad as it was, it could be worse. Of their own accord her eyes traveled to George as he now stood, holding Angelina's hand, leaning against the sink. The remaining twin nodded at her sadly and Malfoy reached out from where he leaned beside George, clapping him softly on the shoulder.

"Bit peaky though, I bet that hospital food left much to be desired. Come, come, dinner is ready."

"But Mum, we're waiting on..."

The fireplace lit up suddenly and in stepped Neville, his cloak spotted with both ash and dirt and he smiled as he caught Hermione's gaze. She ran at him, full force, laughing as he wrapped her up as well, spinning her around as the fireplace flashed again.

"Oh." Neville said, pulling away but keeping one arm wrapped firmly around her shoulders. "Hermione, you remember Hannah right?"

"Hannah Abbot?" Hermione smiled at the blonde haired, green eyed witch who had just stepped through the floo.

"Hannah Longbottom actually." Neville corrected and Hermione smiled shyly.

"Congratulations... I..." she stuttered and the room erupted in to quiet chuckles that made the blood rush to Hermione's face.

"Sorry." Hannah said, "It's just.. you were in the wedding party."

"Oh." Hermione said quietly. "I... I had no idea."

The jovial mood in the room shifted and Hermione felt the awkwardness begin to settle before Molly, thankfully, stepped in and yelled for everyone to gather at the table.

Hermione made her way with Neville and ended up sitting next to Ron and across from Malfoy as food was passed. Lyra was seated in a high chair between Malfoy and Harry and wasted no time in shoving mashed potatoes in her face as soon as her father had scooped some on to her plate.

Ron laughed at the girls antics and the little girl met his gaze, scrunching up her button nose as she too laughed. "Merlin she looks like you when she does that Hermione."

Malfoy glared at the red head but nodded as he reached over to wipe some of the mess from the little girl's hands as conversations continued around them.

Suddenly, Hermione realized what was missing. "Where's Leo?"

Malfoy looked up; his gaze full of hope before it passed from his eyes quickly and he shook his head. "He's spending the night with mother. I thought it would be easier."

"Are you- are you sure that's a good idea?" Hermione asked and though she tried to keep her voice steady, it shook despite her best efforts.

"Why?" Malfoy asked, abandoning his effort to keep his daughter clean as she squished her peas between her fingers.

"Well, because your mother is a death eater." She said bluntly and she saw Malfoy pale as someone gasped close by.

"Hermione." Harry said firmly and she shook her head at her best friend as she felt Ron's hand on her arm.

"My mother was never-"

"Really?" She laughed. "Could have fooled me."

"My mother loves Leo and Lyra, she loves you."

"Right." she replied scathingly. "That's why she watched her sister torture me on her living room floor."

Malfoy's eyes narrowed, his lips pinched together until they turned nearly white before he spat, "Drawing room actually."

Hermione dropped her spoon as the room grew deathly quiet around them.

"'Mione." Malfoy's voice was even quieter, hardly loud enough for her to hear, his voice pleading.

"Lay off it." Ron said loudly from beside her and Malfoy's eyes turned towards the man coldly.

"This is between me and my _wife_ Weasel."

"Too bad she doesn't remember being your wife, huh _Ferret_."

"Stop." Hermione said, moving to stand up, "Just stop."

Before either of them could stop her, she turned on her heel and left the room, her breathing ragged as she fought the tears that were threatening her lashes. She managed to make it back to her room before they finally came and as she lay there in the darkness, she finally let them fall. For herself, for the children she didn't even know, for the life she thought she would have lived, and oddly enough, for Draco Malfoy.

A knock on the door pulled her out of her stupor and she slowly got up and opened the door, happy to see that Molly Weasley stood there with a tray of food.

"You still need to eat." the woman said simply as Hermione opened the door to let her pass through.

"I'm- I'm so sorry Molly." Hermione cried.

"Oh dear." the woman set the tray down, moving to hold on to Hermione's shoulder and guide her on to the bed as Hermione cried in to her shoulder for what seemed like hours. Molly Weasley's whispered words soothing her hurting heart as finally she ran out of tears.

"His mother is a lovely woman." Molly finally said against her head and Hermione pulled away. "I know, I was shocked too. When you first told me about her, you told me she had apologized. Wanted to make it right with you, after everything that happened. By then it was all water under the bridge for you. You told me you forgave her before she had even asked because if it had been your family, your mother, you wouldn't have hesitated to do what had to be done. You understood."

Molly pushed the hair out of her face as she finished talking and Hermione shook her head. "My mother..."

"They take care of her, you know. Pay for her to be at St. Mungos, see a muggle doctor once a week. They did it before you and Draco were even...well, you and Draco. You protested at first but you enjoyed having her so close, so you could go visit. And eventually take your children to see her."

"But... it's Draco."

Molly let out a laugh and nodded her head. "It is. He's good to you. A wonderful father. Just, don't be too hard on him. He's hurting too."

Hermione nodded, knowing that Molly was right, as she often was. She had been so confused and bewildered that she forgot, often, that it was more than just her in this situation. Malfoy was living it too, and he was alone with children that up until recently, she had helped with.

"I should apologize." She finally said and the woman hummed in agreement but nodded at the tray.

"Eat first. He'll wait for you. He always does."

And before Hermione could ponder what that meant, the woman had left.

 **A/N: So a few of you aren't pleased with the way Hermione has been acting. I agree, she's kind of being a bitch. However, please remember that while everyone else has had years to process the war, the things that happened, and the fact that Hermione Granger married Draco Malfoy, to her everything only just happened. It's new and scary and really out of character for them both so she's dealing with it the only way she knows how. I hope that explains a little bit about her perspective and maybe clears up some of the why as to her attitude about things. It will get better. For all of them. Please review and let me know what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **A/N: Not many reviews last chapter, I hope you all are still with me. The next few chapters are up and ready to go, just waiting on you all. Let me know what you think!**

 **Chapter 6**

 **Draco  
-Past-  
**

"Of course I knew that. That line has been in our family for ages." He scoffed, looking at the woman before him who glared in what he assumed was supposed to be a menacing glance.

"Right, well it would have been nice to know that, before."

"You never asked." He said, sipping his tea and smirking at her. Before he could react she reached out, smacking him with the paper in her hands and he wondered, briefly, if this was what Potter and the Weasel put up with. "If you had asked, however, about the elves parentage and lineage, I could have provided you with all you needed to know. But then again, that would have deprived you of the chance to steal away to the library and honestly Granger, however would you live..."

She raised an eyebrow and her paper and he moved away quickly, hands up in surrender as he felt the laugh bubble in his chest.

" _honestly_." she snapped before she sighed. "As I was saying, I found that Ninny was Dobby's grandmother and two of the other elves were his cousins, so..."

"So you think it was because of Dobby's defection?"

"Don't call it that."

"Right, then what should I call it?" He asked, picking at the croissant on his plate absentmindedly. "I know you don't understand it all that much Granger but Dobby was the exception, not the rule."

She rolled her eyes, ignoring him as she continued. "Not just Dobby though. The other three elves had no relations to him that I could see and believe me, I scoured every historical record I could find."

"Did they have defect-" He stopped at her glare., "You know what I mean."

"No. Actually. That's what doesn't make any sense. I thought for sure Kreacher was telling us it was because of something the elves had done but now I'm not so sure..."

"And it's killing you." He guessed, as she looked at him with a wry smile and he saw her eyes dart up to the clock on the wall.

"Oh. Shoot." She said, quickly moving to pack up the papers she had scattered across the small table as she went. "I'm going to be late."

Draco watched in what he could only call amusement as she hurriedly shoved things in to her small messenger bag. "Date?"

She sighed. "No. I mean.. yes. Kind of? I'm having dinner with the Weasley's. It's George and… well Fred's birthday..."

She trailed off and he turned, clenching his jaw as he realized the implications of her words. Fred was gone. Half of the terror twins forever lost. He hadn't even noticed that his fingers were brushing the sleeve of his shirt where the dark mark lay hidden until he felt her fingers on his.

"Choices Draco."

He nodded. "Right. Of course."

"I'm sorry, I do have to go. Do you think... can I owl you tomorrow? Maybe try to meet up so we can discuss this again?"

"Of course" He said quickly, standing up and following her in to the hallway and watching as she disappeared with a small wave and a smile.

He stood there for quite some time, wishing he had been able to say more and biting down the disappointment that he hadn't before he finally made his way to the dining room to have dinner with his mother who smiled at him knowingly and ignored his death glares as he willed her not to speak. It was only as he fell asleep that he realized she wasn't owling him that night, and the disappointment was almost too much to bear.

 **Hermione  
-Present-  
**

She found him in the living room.

Harry was in his recliner, snoring lightly, the television in the corner of the room, so seemingly out of place in Grimmauld place, emitting a warm glow. She could see football on, and she bit back a laugh. Harry had told her, earlier, that he had insisted the television come in and had charmed it so that he could have any channel he wanted, of course he ended up falling asleep in front of it.

Her heart panged as she thought of her father who used to do much the same, before she shook the thought away and found the person she had been looking for. His long frame was draped over the couch, his toes hanging off the edge, and Lyra was draped over his chest, Albus tucked in to his side, all of them sound asleep.

It was then, as she was watching them, that she could see why she might have fallen for the man in the first place. In sleep his features were relaxed and not near as pointy. In fact, she might even venture to call him handsome. She sighed deeply, ignoring the feeling that seemed to bubble in the pit of her stomach and then his eyes fluttered open and met hers. For a brief moment, time was still and Hermione wasn't even sure she remembered how to breathe as she shifted under the intense look he gave her. But then, the moment passed and he moved, laying Lyra down beside Albus and reaching to pull the Weasley afghan off the back of the couch and cover the toddlers with it before he stood up.

"Malfoy-" She started but he shook his head, looking to Harry's still snoring form and then back to the children behind him before he nodded towards the door and walked out of it, without waiting for her.

They found their way in to an office, Malfoy closing the door behind him gently before he finally turned to meet her gaze.

"I shouldn't have-" She started but shook her head, trying to compose the millions of thoughts that seemed to be running rampant through her head. "I'm sorry."

Malfoy raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned on the nearby desk.

"I shouldn't have insulted your mother like that when honestly I don't know her… I'm sorry that I can't see you as anything other than the arrogant prat you were in school and I'm sorry that I'm even here… If I could I would remember everything, but I can't and-"

"It's killing you." Malfoy said, the corner of his lip quirking up.

"I have children- _we_ have children and I don't even know them."

Malfoy nodded, standing up a little straighter. "Leo was born on May twelfth, he was a few days late. His full name is Leo Michael Malfoy, after-"

"My father." She breathed.

"Lyra Harriet- That was your idea by the way. Scarhead still won't let me live that down… she was born July thirty-first and he also never shuts up about that." She laughed lightly at the fact that her daughter shared a birthday with her best friend, noting Malfoy's own smile before he continued. "You love them more than life, I love them more than I ever thought possible, and you wanted 'at least four more' before I talked you out of it. You work at the ministry and the kids stay with me during the day, always have, and usually one of the Potter kids ends up at our house sometime during the week. Leo won't eat anything green and Lyra will eat anything she can see and the last time you saw them before all of this, you were leaving for a short business trip and you cried."

He took a breath, his eyes studying her intently and she finally let out the breath she had been holding as she nodded. "Thank you."

"They miss you…" his voice lowered as he looked down to his feet and she barely caught his next words. "I miss you."

She shut her eyes tightly, willing the urge to reach out and touch him to go away before she finally looked back up to see him smiling at her sadly. He nodded once, shoving his hands inside his pockets before he finally turned and promptly left the room. She was still standing there later when Ginny found her and she was grateful as her friend let her hug her, too tightly, as she tried to stop her hands from shaking.

 **Draco  
-Past-  
**

"Just owl her already." Draco looked up at his mother from across the table, shifting to move his unopened newspaper beside his breakfast plate as he stared at her incredulously.

"Beg your pardon?"

"Oh stop that. I birthed you, don't think I don't know every little nuance you have Draco. You've been sulking and I know it has something to do with Hermione Granger…"

"Mother-"

"Just owl her already." The woman said exasperatedly and she stood up, throwing one last glance at her son before she left the room.

He pushed his rubbery eggs around his plate, no longer hungry, before he finally gave up and grabbed the paper and headed back to his room. He only made it halfway, however, when the front page picture caught his eye and his breath caught in his throat.

He was thankful, as he lumbered the rest of the way to his quarters, that he hadn't finished his breakfast as he threw the paper down on his desk, ignoring Granger's watery smile flashing at him from the damned daily prophet as the Weasel stood behind her, looking like the cat that caught the canary. He wanted to vomit. Instead, he scoffed and turned his back on the bloody thing, pulling on whatever clothes he happened to find before making his way back downstairs, throwing a quick good-bye to his mother as he flooed to Blaise's, not bothering to acknowledge his friend's hello until he had poured half the decanter in his glass and gulped it down greedily, relishing the burn.

"Hello to you too mate." Zabini said as he finally joined him by the liquor. "I take it you received your Daily today?"

Draco sneered at his friend and poured himself another drink and then poured another for the man before him, his silence answer enough.

"I told you not to get involved." Zabini argued and Draco pushed the glass in to his hand, starting in on his second as he fought back the urge to throw the glass against the mantle he had just walked through not moments before.

"Sod off." He finally said, staring down at his white knuckle grip and Blaise snorted in to his glass as the two stood in relative silence until their drinks were gone.

"Well, looks like I know what I'm doing today." Blaise finally said, setting his empty glass down and rolling his eyes.

"Oh, and what's that?" Malfoy asked, the stinging in his chest lessening slightly as he set down his empty glass once more.

"Taking your mind off the mudblood of course." Draco almost argued, directing Zabini to find a different word to describe the witch, but then the picture came back to him, the engagement ring glinting in the flashbulb as Hermione Granger gave herself away to Ronald Weasley and suddenly, he didn't care.

* * *

The hair was tickling his nose when he came to and he groused, pushing the brown curls out of his face. For a moment, he stilled, the brunette tresses trailing through his fingers as Granger's face popped in to his head. The moment passed however, quickly followed by the reminder of yesterday's daily prophet and the following events at the shady pub he and Blaise had ended up in.

The witch beside him was definitely not Hermione Granger and as she rolled over, pulling her hair out of his grasp and her head settled on his chest, he realized just how much that disappointed him.

He didn't have time to wonder on that fact however, as the door to his room burst open and he startled, the witch on top of him jumping awake at the sound and he _was_ surprised to find Granger standing in the doorway of his room.

"Oh-" She said lamely as her eyes took in the scene before her and Draco smirked to himself slightly. "Your mother didn't say you had company…"

Draco rolled his eyes and moved to get up, pulling one of the coverings along with him as he picked up his discarded boxers and pulled them up before turning to face Granger. He knew his mother was not stupid, he also knew that she very well knew why he was having a lie in this morning and also that he wasn't alone. His mother must have seen the Daily Prophet as well.

"Yes, well, not everyone makes sex a family business…"

"What are you-"

"Or is that _not_ how the Weasel's do it? I just assumed that they all took turns, shared and whatnot." He sneered as he moved closer and he knew he had hit a nerve when her jaw clenched.

"Drac-"

"Come back some other time Granger. We're busy." He said roughly, moving to push the door closed.

"Draco wait-" she said softly, resigned. "I think I've figured out-"

He wanted to listen. He wanted to hear what she had found but the photo from yesterday kept flashing in his mind. He had been stupid, of course he had, to think that anyone like Hermione Granger would ever willingly want to be with an ex-death eater. _With him._ He had listened to her spout the nonsense about choices and _hoped_ that she was alluding to something else. He had been wrong. The diamond on her finger proved it.

"I don't care." He spat, towering over her. "Get the hell out."

"What?" She said in disbelief, her own anger beginning to seep in to her voice.

"I said, _get the hell out_." He snarled. "Before I make you, filthy mudblood."

And before she could retort he slammed the door, not caring that it shook the frames on his wall as he tried to forget the look on her face.

 **Hermione  
-Present-  
**

She threw her hair up in a ponytail as she clambered down the stairs. She was thankful, as it were, that Harry and Ginny had put so much effort in to this place and as such she could now pad down the halls in her socks. Sometime between her last memory of the nearly dilapidated old house and the day she showed back up they had been able to remove the hideous screeching portrait where instead hung a photo of Harry and Ginny on their wedding day. She had stopped to admire it when she first arrived and now merely smiled at the happy couple in the picture as she passed by.

She pushed the door to the kitchen open, stopping short when she met Ginny's exasperated eyes. "Oh Hermione, I'm so sorry, we were trying to get out of your hair before you came down-"

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked, moving more in to the room just as Leo collided with her legs.

"Mummy!"

"Hello Leo." She said softly, reaching down to smooth the silky brown hair out of his face.

"You going to the park with us mummy?"

"Oh-"

"Not this time, Leo. Mummy needs to rest." She jumped as Malfoy appeared behind her, trying to wrestle Lyra in to a jacket as he went before tossing another bundle of fabric to Ginny. "Picked this up for Al."

"Thanks." The woman sighed and she bent down to attend to Albus who adamantly protested the red jacket she was trying to coax him in to.

"Sorry." Malfoy muttered as Leo let go of her legs to turn back to James as the boys tried to perk up little Albus while he pouted. "We go to the park every Wednesday. Gives Gin a little break…"

Hermione nodded as Lyra seemingly noticed her for the first time and reached out, begging for her mother's arms. She breathed before she tentatively reached out and pulled the little girl in to her, smiling as the blonde girl tucked her curls underneath her chin contentedly.

"Hermione, Harry is coming home in a few. He said he has some things he wants to look over with you… We're stopping by Florean's after the park, give you some peace and-Oh James, don't lick your brother."

Hermione and Draco both laughed as Ginny turned a frantic eye towards her two boys and shook her head exasperatedly.

"Is it like this all the time?" Hermione asked, her voice soft.

"Yes." He replied without hesitation, his voice laced with humor.

They watched silently until Ginny had a handle on both of her boys, Leo tagging along next to James as they pushed in to the floo and with one last wave they were gone.

"I'd better go. James is scarhead reincarnated. He thinks he needs to have adventures everywhere he goes…"

Hermione hiccupped back a laugh but let him pull Lyra out of her arms, ignoring the girls protests as he too climbed in to the floo.

"Bye-bye." Lyra waved and Hermione smiled at the girl, waving back as the two disappeared.

She hardly had time to make toast with jam and a cup of tea before Harry appeared, half hidden behind a stack of files.

"What's all this?" Hermione asked around a bite of toasted bread as Ron appeared behind Harry, an annoyed expression on his face.

"Everything I could find on memory charms and records of those who have been affected by them…"

"I thought you said-"

"Well, we don't know that that is what this is Hermione but I figured it was the best place to start."

Hermione nodded as Ron pulled out a chair opposite her and sat down. It was only then that Hermione recognized the coldness between the two men beside her. Her eyes narrowed as she watched them almost dance around each other. "Okay, what's up with you two?"

"What?" Harry said quickly

"Nothing" Ron muttered at the same time.

Hermione tensed, setting down the file she had in her hand none too gently as she rounded on her best friends. "Something is up with you two. You can't keep treating me like a delicate flower. I'm not going to break. I've lost my memory for fuck's sake not my bones."

"Hermione-" Harry sighed.

"We're just trying to follow the healer's…"Ron argued

"To hell with the healer." She yelled, pushing herself out of her chair and staring down at the men. "I know something is going on with you and I want to know what. When you're ready to tell me I'll be in my room."

And before they could answer she grabbed her half empty tea cup and left.

Hours later she realized neither of them was going to find her, and sighing, she gave up and resigned herself to a nap, hoping that maybe they would prove her wrong in the meantime.

 **A/N: Anyone have any guesses or theories? I'd love to hear them!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **A/N: Welcome to my new readers! (I can't believe I forgot to mark this as a Dramione fic!) Please review and let me know what you're thinking! Everyone else, I was going to reply to all of your reviews for 6 but I got home late from girls night (my first one in... forever) and I thought this would be better. Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 7**

 **DRACO  
-Past-  
**

He was a bloody coward.

Of that much he was sure.

He sat inside Madam Malkins, listening to his mother blither on about one thing or another, all because he had seen the bushy headed witch in the street. His mother, to her credit, had seen her too and had yet to call him out on just why he would sit around and wait for her to do whatever the hell it was women did when shopping for new robes.

Fortunately, it was the last stop of the day and as such, as long as they could get out of the store without being noticed, he would be in the clear.

"So is Joanna coming over again?" he jumped at his mother's voice, rounding on her slightly.

"Who?" He asked, his voice tight.

Narcissa laughed, reaching out to squeeze his arm. "Oh Draco-"

He racked his brain, trying to place the name with a face as his mother's nails dug in to his skin. It was only then that he saw her. She was standing, pale faced, at the counter, staring directly at him. The She-weasel behind her watching her friend earnestly as though the Malfoy's would try to imperius the woman right in front of her eyes.

"Why, mother, I didn't think you cared for any of my ladies. However, yes, I do believe she may be warming my bed again…"

His mother narrowed her eyes as the witch with the measuring tape snorted around some pins. "That is _not_ what I meant Draco."

"I know what you _meant_ mother, I'm merely stating that the witch was more gratifying company than any I've had the pleasure of enjoying recently." He scoffed and he saw it then, out of the corner of his eye. Granger shifting just enough to let him know his words had resounded with her. "Now, buy your robes and let's run along."

And before his mother could answer he had pulled his arm away from her grasp and walked outside, ignoring the delicate tinkle of the door as he went, shutting his eyes tightly as soon as he had stepped in to the brisk air.

"Draco." He stiffened at her voice, his jaw clenching before he turned his head infinitesimally to see her out of the corner of his eye.

"What Granger?" He snapped.

"You don't get to do this." She said, her own voice rising as she walked around him, her arms crossed over her chest.

"What? Buy robes with my mother?"

"No, be a decent human being one minute and then the next turn into a giant git."

"Beg pardon?" He sneered as straightened up to his full height.

"You heard me. You think acting like a twat will push people away. That you saying that _word_ will push me away? I've been called a lot worse. You want to wallow in guilt for the rest of your life? Fine, but don't take it out on people who care about you."

He felt his heart stutter at her words, as she continued on, cursing him up and down. It only took a minute or two before his mind finally caught up and he turned on his heel and departed.

Of course she didn't give up. He realized she wouldn't and he continued on, listening as she spewed her muggle brain doctor shite about his ulterior motives before he finally ducked into the alley behind Madam Primpernelle's and turned to face her.

"You can't run away from everything Draco." She said as she came to stand in front of him.

"You think I'm running away because I'm guilty?" He asked his voice low and even and he watched in mild amusement as she nodded her head.

"Y-yes."

"Well, see, that's where you're wrong. Because I don't run from the people I care about. Ever."

And before he could think. Before he could talk himself out of it, he did what Slytherin's do best.

His lips melded to hers, and for a moment she was frozen and he wondered just how quickly it would take her to hex him from there to the other side of Diagon alley. But then she was moving, her body pushed flush against his and he took advantage of it, reaching up to wrap his fingers in her hair as he tasted every last bit of her mouth. Too soon she pulled away, her eyes wide and frantic, and he knew she had gotten lost, just like he had.

"I-I'm engaged." She said finally.

"I know." He smirked and his hand reached out, almost begging her to come back to him. To let him taste her again. She shook her head, and reached in to her bag before she was pushing a folder at him.

"I can't." She said firmly. "I'm sorry."

And then, she was gone.

 **Hermione  
-Present-**

Three weeks came and went. Ginny and Harry were gracious hosts but they had lives, children, and she knew that eventually she would have to move on. With or without her memories.

Ron visited every week. Sometimes more than once- though always separate from Harry- and the two fell in to a comfortable routine together. Playing games or the like. It was easy with him, she realized, to forget everything that was so wrong with her life.

Malfoy and the kids came over quite often, and though sometimes he would show up without them in tow, he was always welcomed like part of the family. The two of them, no matter how cordial, could always end up arguing. It was a wonder really, how they could have ever been married when in reality she wanted to punch him half the time.

Her time that wasn't spent trying to regain her memories was spent trying to figure out where they had gone in the first place. She was sure, as was Harry, that something out of the ordinary had happened. Something, they believed, magical in origin. They just couldn't quite put their finger on what.

"Oh. Here…" Harry said, sitting up in his chair as Hermione leaned in closer. The two were poring over the stacks of paper in front of them, looking for clues amidst others who had experienced the same kind of memory loss. The results were grim. "Ibin Codwaller… oh, nevermind. He never regained his memory…"

"Harry-" Hermione sighed hopelessly and he reached across the table to pull her hand in to his, lacing their fingers together.

"I promise 'Mione, we're going to figure this out."

"How?" She demanded, her voice rough. "The only known case of a memory charm being broken is torture and even then she was never the same…"

"You are _not_ Bertha Jorkins, Hermione." He said firmly. "And there has to be another way."

Hermione scoffed. "Maybe we should just let Malfoy do it… I bet that would bring it back quickly."

"Bring what back quickly?" Hermione jumped as Malfoy appeared in the doorway and she felt her cheeks redden. "I came to warn you Harry. You forgot to put away your jumper and Ginny…"

Harry swore, standing up quickly as Hermione let out a chuckle. "I'll be right back. I hope."

She watched as he disappeared quickly from the room and she turned back to the books, picking up the mess the two had made at the table before her.

"So what were you saying I should do?" Malfoy asked quietly and she turned to smile at him sheepishly.

"Well, it's just that…every instance of someone falling victim to a memory charm has had it broken by… well… torture."

She saw his jaw clench as he looked at her, his posture rigid.

"Of course I didn't mean-" She stammered, realizing what her words had implied and the feeling of guilt filled her up and she quickly looked back to the papers in front of her, ignoring Malfoy's stare until she felt his hand on her chin, pulling her face to meet his.

"I would do anything to make you better, but I would never hurt you."

She wanted to argue. To throw back the insults from Hogwarts that he had so carelessly flung at her. She wanted to point out to him that he _had_ hurt her, though not in the physical sense. However, the look in his eyes was too intense; too, _real_. Instead she nodded her head and finished putting the papers in their books.

It was then that another thought hit her.

"Malfoy…" she sighed. "What would you think of me spending time with the children?"

 **Draco  
-Past-  
**

He found Meeky that week.

Lying unresponsive with blood pooling around her and he sobbed for what felt like hours.

He was aware of his mother, her own cries filling his head but he didn't move, instead holding the elf's cold hand in his own until someone pulled him away.

He was alert then, turning on the hand that directed him away from the body to find Granger staring at him sadly, and though he wanted to fight, he realized he didn't have it in him. With one last glance at the elf who had helped raise him, he let her lead him in to the drawing room.

* * *

"Draco." Her voice was soft and steady and she held the tea in front of him, letting him take it in to his own hands as he watched her flit about the room, directing the aurors who had shown up to the grisly scene before she finally settled back down beside him on the drawing room sofa.

"I read the file." He finally said, his voice cracking despite his best efforts.

"So you know?"

"Nothing I didn't already know." He derided and she shook her head.

"Draco-"

"Dobby was our elf. Ninny and Meeky and the others started here. In the manor. If it's about Dobby..."

"Draco-" Her hands were on his then, pulling the shaking teacup out of his grasp and turning his face to hers. "It's not about Dobby…"

"I know." He said. He figured he had known all along, though the pieces had never really added up. Laid out in front of him however just made everything clear. Whoever was attacking the house elves was not doing so at random. They were attacking the house elves that had started-or ended- with the Malfoys.

"I'm sorry-" Granger said, her voice soft, reassuring and it was only then that he realized he was grasping her hand, squeezing almost too tightly. As though she could hold him together. What was more was that she was squeezing back.

Her last words flitted through him and he wondered, briefly, if she held The Weasel's hand like this before quickly pulling his hand from hers as though her touch would burn if he kept contact too long.

"I should-" He stammered before he stopped, breathing in deeply and cleared his throat. "I need to get mother. To let her know-"

He didn't even bother to finish his sentence as he took off in the direction he was sure his mother had disappeared to, hedging around the aurors who were still in the room, ignoring Potter's curious glance as he passed by.

His mother had never been one for crowds, or parties, a fact she never tried to hide. His father had been the one to crave the attention that came with inviting the clambering crowds of social climbers in to their home. Narcissa's dislike of people had only intensified since the time in which their home had been death eater headquarters.

"Mother?" He asked when he reached her room and he saw her sitting in the dark, the only light coming from the dying fire that she was situated in front of, her gaze distant.

It was something that he had grown used to over the past few years, his mother withdrawing in to herself, but he had seen her start to cope. To come out of her stupor more and more and he had hoped that the days of grieving were finally past for her. As he walked in to the room, however, he wasn't so sure.

"I never wanted this for you." She finally said, her voice rough and low and he could tell that she was fighting to keep her tears at bay, to keep her voice from breaking. To be strong.

"I know." He said simply, because while he could never say he had a picturesque childhood, he knew that much was true. His mind recalled the way she used to hold him against her when his father had punished him as a child, whispering soft words in to his hair in the cloak of darkness until he would fall asleep. He remembered the harsh words his father always had for her when he thought she was making him _soft, weak_ , and he remembered – far too clearly for his own liking- the tear stained cheeks that never seemed to go away after he had accepted the dark mark on his arm.

"All I ever wanted was for you to be happy." She said, and this time, her voice did break and he was in front of her before he could stop himself, sliding down in front of her and resting his head on her knees.

"Mother-"

"You can still be happy Draco-" Her voice was soft and gentle and he could feel her hand running through his hair, the same way she had done when he was a child. "Don't give up yet."

And he knew, in that moment, that she was talking about more than the Malfoy name he had to carry, about more than the dark mark on his arm, and the burden of his father's decisions.

They sat like that, in the silent darkness, the fire slowly dying beside them until she finally spoke again.

"You know, I was engaged before your father."

"What?"

She laughed as his wide eyes met hers. "I was."

"But-Who? Why-"

She shook her head, her hand reaching down to grasp his chin gently. "I love your father Draco. I will always love him. He was not always the man that you know. He was charming, and lovely. He had so much potential. I had been engaged before; to a man I thought I loved. He was kind and gentle but we had no fire between us. We were complacent. Your father made me angry. So, so angry. Bella thought I might hex him a time or two." Her voice faltered on the mention of her sister. "I… I went to see Anna. It wasn't long after she had married that husband of hers and I just wanted to know…"

She trailed off then, her eyes staring at something unseen, and Draco was sure she was remembering that day. Of The clandestine visit to the sister that had been chosen a life much different than her own.

"She told me that I was stupid." Narcissa laughed lightly. "That if I had to ask then I already knew the answer. And it was such an Andromeda thing to say… I never saw her after that."

Draco exhaled heavily as his mother finally looked back down to meet his eyes, running her hand soothingly along his face and though she never said it, he was sure that he knew what she was thinking and he didn't need to tell her that he understood, because he was sure that she knew him well enough to know that he did. Her words weren't meant to soothe him, as mother's so often did, they were meant to appeal to the Black family in him. The passionate blood that ran through his veins. They were meant to fuel the fire in him. The need. The want.

And as Draco delved in to the information Granger had told him in the drawing room, he realized they had done exactly that.

 **A/N: Please excuse any typos.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **A/N: Happy Thursday! I love all of the new follows and reviews I've gotten on this story! I would love it even more if you would shoot me a review and let me know what you're thinking!**

 **Chapter 8**

 **HERMIONE  
-Present-  
**

Hermione gasped as she appeared, greedily gulping air as she fought the wave of nausea that rolled through her.

She was late, and as if that alone wasn't enough to bother her, she also wasn't quite sure of what she was about to do.

The owl had come late the evening before, tapping impatiently at her window until she let it in and slid the parchment off of its leg. It was a simple message, asking for her to come see the children for the day and she had owled back right away without hesitation. But now, now she wasn't so sure. Add to that the fact that Harry had made her apparate across his living room at least fifteen times to prove that she wouldn't splinch herself on the way over and she was already in a foul mood.

She shifted, pulling on the jacket she was wearing as she stared at the sprawling house before her before she finally gathered her wits and marched up to the front door to announce her arrival.

It was her home, of that much she had been told, but it did nothing to quell the fact that the last time she actually _remembered_ being here she had been pinned against the drawing room floor and tortured.

Finally, after what seemed like forever the door swung open. She wasn't sure what she had expected, but it definitely wasn't the pretty brunette standing before her.

"Oh- Um…" Hermione started, not really sure what to say.

"Mummy!" Leo appeared almost out of nowhere, flying at Hermione's legs with an exuberant smile. "Have you come to play?"  
Hermione smiled and bent down, scooping the boy up in her arms, "I have!"

The boy exclaimed in joy and wiggled enough so that Hermione set him down gently and he disappeared once more as the two women stared at each other awkwardly.

"Tori… Which shirt do you think-" Malfoy appeared at the top of the stairs, clad only in black dress trousers and Hermione felt her jaw slacken as she caught sight of him before she quickly composed herself as he hurried down the steps. "Hermione? Are you alright?"

"What? I'm fine- I just… I came to spend time with the kids."

"I'm actually heading out in a few." He said quietly, apology coloring his tone. "I didn't know-"

"Did you not get my reply last night?"

"Reply? What are you-"

"I sent her an owl Draco." Hermione stiffened as Narcissa Malfoy appeared in the entry way, Lyra in her arms eating something out of a bowl. Hermione was almost certain she saw Draco flinch out of the corner of her eye and the dread forming in her stomach settled in even more.

"Mother-"

"A mother should spend time with her children Draco. Leo has been on and on about missing her, and you and Tori were going out so-"

"Astoria and I are attending a meeting." Draco said hurriedly, looking to Hermione as though she was going to hex him. "With Mr. Greengrass, her father. About our company."

Hermione nodded, not understanding his urgency until she saw Astoria step forward again, placing her hand gently in the crook of Draco's elbow and something hit her in the gut full force as a picture broke through. Of Draco with his arms wrapped around the woman before him, his mouth next to her ear, and the hot jealous anger that coursed through her was enough to make her hit her knees.

It was only as the hazy picture started to connect in her mind that she realized she had, indeed, fell to her knees in the Malfoy entry way.

"Are you alright?" Malfoy asked, kneeling in front of her, his hand on her face.

"I'm-I'm fine." She said, forcing the words out as she tried not to glare daggers at the woman now standing behind Malfoy and looking down at her worriedly. "Fine."

"Hermione…"

"I'm fine." She bit out as Leo appeared beside his father, beaming at her excitedly as he showed her the toys he had retrieved.

"Let's pway Quidditch Mummy."

"Leo, mummy is.."

"Mummy would love to play Quidditch with you." She interrupted the man before her, shooting her glare at him as she righted herself on her feet before finally, he backed up, nodding.

Hermione allowed Leo to pull her in to the nearest room, settling herself down on the floor as Lyra appeared and pushed her way on to Hermione's lap. As she sat there, nestled between her children she couldn't help but feel at home. It was only as Malfoy popped in, bending down to kiss the top of each downy head, that she realized how wrong it felt watching him leave with another woman on his arm, and that thought scared her most of all.

* * *

Hermione had managed to make it through the whole day without running in to Narcissa Malfoy. She tucked the children in bed, kissing them goodnight and promising she would return to read to them some more and walked out to find the matriarch of the family standing in the hallway.

"I made some tea." She said simply with a nod of the head and Hermione gulped as she followed the witch down the stairs and in to the drawing room that she had dutifully avoided today.

"Thank you." Hermione said finally as she sat down opposite the woman and picked up the tea cup before her. "For letting me see the children today."

"Nonsense." Narcissa dismissed with a wave of her hand. "Leo is, for lack of a better word, a mother's boy. He was asking yesterday how to work the floo so that he could come see you. It's better for you to come home to see him than for him to end up in some strangers grate."

Hermione laughed to herself at that and the woman across from her smiled kindly.

"I know that this isn't easy on you… it's been terribly hard on Draco." Hermione snorted, thinking of the way Astoria had clung to his arm as they walked out of the manor this afternoon. Narcissa seemed to read her thoughts as she continued, "Astoria is… she's a Greengrass. Please don't settle your opinion of Draco on her uncivilized behavior. As I do recall, she's, how did you put it last? 'pathetically dimwitted'"

Hermione choked on her tea then, swiping at her eyes as she fought to catch her breath. "I'm sorry, I just… I haven't said that in ages."

Narcissa smiled at her, and it felt so familiar, that Hermione actually wanted to cry. Not only for herself but for the woman in front of her.

"I'm sorry that I called you a death eater." She heard herself mutter and then felt the heat rise to her cheeks as she realized Malfoy might not have told her about that.

The woman, thankfully, smiled graciously and set her tea back down. "It's not the worst thing I've been called."

Hermione laughed and the two women sat in comfortable silence as they finished their tea until the door to the drawing room opened and Malfoy walked in, sans Astoria, and looked sheepishly between the two women.

"Mother-" He said warningly and Narcissa raised an eyebrow at her son.

"Draco-"

"What did she say to you?" Malfoy asked, ignoring his mother as he turned the full force of his gaze on Hermione.

"What? Nothing I-" Hermione stumbled, looking towards Narcissa with wide eyes as the woman turned to her son.

"Draco-"

"I told you not to push her. I told you, Merlin mother, you made her cry _again_ …"

Hermione couldn't help the laugh that escaped at that as she swiped at her eyes, kicking herself for having put on mascara for some unknown reason that morning. Malfoy paled as Hermione continued to laugh, and before long Narcissa had joined in until both women were in tears again.

"What?" He asked, irritation peeking through his usually unbothered demeanor.

Hermione laughed once more as she stood up, "I swallowed some tea wrong and had a coughing fit, your mother didn't do anything wrong…"

"This time." He muttered under his breath, glancing towards his mother who rolled her eyes dramatically before he turned back to Hermione. "Are you leaving?"

"Oh, yes, I put the kids to bed after about fifty games of quidditch with Leo and several hundred books…"

Draco laughed lightly under his breath, shoving his hands deeper in to his pockets as he turned to allow her to pass by him, making their way towards the front door. "They get that from you."

Hermione allowed that, letting Draco help her with her jacket as they reached the door of the manor.

"Thank you… for letting me stay." She said, suddenly finding the marble floors beneath her feet entirely fascinating.

"Of course." His voice was husky and she couldn't help but look up at him then.

"How did- how was your meeting?" She asked, if only to keep the blush that was threatening to spread across her cheeks at bay.

Draco faltered, clearing his throat. "Good. It went… well. Look, Hermione, Astoria and I…"

Hermione held up her hand, halting his words. "It's okay Malfoy- I don't…"

"I just want you to know-"

The two stared at each other, before finally, Malfoy nodded and Hermione shifted from one foot to the other.

"It's getting late, I should get back before Harry sends a search party."

"Of his best aurors." Malfoy laughed with a nod and Hermione smirked, knowing it was meant as a joke but also not wanting to put it past Harry to do exactly that. "Look, Hermione, I'm taking Leo to a quidditch match this Saturday. Ginny pulled some strings, got him the tickets. I thought- well I was wondering if you would want to go along?"

"Umm…" Hermione stuttered, "I'm not really-"

"Into Quidditch, I know." He smirked. "But, as you've already seen, Leo is very much in to quidditch and I thought that maybe it might be good for you and for him."

Hermione bit her lip as Malfoy stared at her expectantly and Leo's pleading little eyes flashed in her mind before she finally, nodded. "I'd love to."

Malfoy smiled fully then and Hermione's heart thudded in her chest as she resisted the urge to touch him, even just once, before she finally forced herself to bid farewell and walked down the stone path. As she turned on the spot to disapparate back to Harry's place, she caught his eye and in that split second she felt something she had never felt before and she wasn't quite sure if the inability to breathe came from the squeezing press of apparition or the idea that she, Hermione Granger, was hopelessly in love with Draco Malfoy.

 **DRACO  
-Past-  
**

"Does the Weasel know?" Draco asked as he slid on to the stool beside Hermione, tapping the bar as he settled in.

" _Ronald_ is my fiancé, not my keeper." She retorted, shooting down her shot of firewhisky with quick efficacy and barely grimacing.

"Right." He smirked as the barkeep appeared and placed the shot in front of him, her eyes appraising him. "So he _doesn't_ know."

Hermione swiveled on her seat then, returning his smirk as she picked up the shot that sat in front of him and downed it before he could protest. "He's out on assignment."

Draco snorted as she slammed the glass down in front of him and the bar keep glared at them from the other side of the bar and it was then that he noticed the other patrons of the pub, their eyes warily watching him from the shadows. Draco hadn't hesitated when he had received Hermione's owl, asking to meet her at The Leaky Cauldron, instead just shrugging in to the nearest robe and disapparating directly in front of the entrance. Now, however, he was starting to regret that decision as he watched the side eyes and whispered conversations from beside Hermione.

" _Anyway_ …" Hermione drawled out, turning to swat him on the shoulder lightly just as a wizard approached the pair.

"Hermione?"

"Hey Henry!" Granger said lightly, smiling at the newcomer who looked entirely uncomfortable.

"Are you.. .are you alright?" The man asked, lowering his voice as he looked at Draco wearily.

Her brow furrowed as she looked at the man called Henry in confusion before glancing at Draco. "Yes, of course, why…"

"He's making sure you aren't under the imperius curse." Draco said dryly.

"What are you on about?" Hermione asked, her voice too loud as she looked between the two men. "You think… you think Draco is…what?"

"Well, you can't blame us." Henry said, his tone unapologetic and Draco sighed, moving to stand up. "What with who he is."

"Excuse me?" she asked, her jaw slack.

"It's okay Granger…" Draco said quietly as he pulled some coins out of his pocket and tossed them on to the bar.

"No." she said forcefully, reaching out to grab Draco's arm, yanking him back towards her. "Tell me Henry, who _is_ he?"

"Hermione-"The man shifted uncomfortably, glancing nervously at the man she currently had in a vice grip.

"Who is _he_ Henry?  
"He's… he's a Malfoy." The man muttered.

"Yes?"

"And, well, he's a death eater."

Her jaw tightened then, along with the grip she had on Draco's arm as she rounded on the man. "And I'm a Granger, and a Mudblood."

"Hermio-" Draco started but she continued on as though he wasn't even there.

"We fought in a war Henry not so that people would continue to be known for their past but so that they could live in the present. So they could have a _future."_

Before Henry could retort she was gone, pulling Draco along with her as she left the pub, not even bothering to leave her own money and Draco was glad that he had thrown down extra, not needing theft added to his already long list of transgressions, though he was sure that somehow Granger would be absolved of any wrong doing in the popular Diagon Alley destination.

"I am so sorry Draco." She said once they were sufficiently far away from the pub.

Draco shrugged. "It's nothing really."

She rounded on him then, "It's not _nothing_."

"No." Draco said, grasping one of her hands in his, mostly to stop her from waving it around but also because he would be lying if he said he hadn't thought about doing it since the first night at Grimmauld Place. "You're right. It's not nothing, but it's… it's who I am. It's who I will always be. You can pretend that I'm different, you can tell yourself I've changed but I'm a Malfoy. I always will be. Look, I should go-"

"No!" She called quickly, reaching out to grab his hand again, pulling him back to her, stumbling as she did so that she ended up pressed flush against him, "Don't go. I'm sorry- I just…"

"Hermione, you should-" He started but stopped when she swayed on her feet, falling in to him a little. Instinctively he reached out to steady her, fingers grasping her shoulders.

"Hey," She said, smiling up at him and making no move to pull away from him. "Say that again…"

His brow furrowed, "I think you should-"

"No, the other part.."  
"I don't-"

"You said my name." She breathed; her lips were still quirked up and he realized, with a jolt, that he had. "I think- I think that's the first time I've heard you say it."

He pulled his own hands away from her then, shoving them deep in his pockets as he took a slight step back, shaking his head.

"No." She insisted and he realized, only too late, that she stepped in to him again. "it is. I'm sure of it."

He wanted to argue but he knew she was right so instead, he looked down, away from her eyes and down to the cobblestone beneath his black loafers.

"Say it again." Her voice was whisper soft and her words slurred together slightly. He met her eyes then. She was biting her lip and looking up at him through the thick fringe of lashes that framed her eyes and he wondered, briefly, why he had never noticed how deep her eyes looked.

Finally, he relented. "Hermione…" Her grin reappeared and he reached out for her, letting her place her hand in his. "Let's get you home."

And before she could argue, he disapparated

 **A/N:Penny for your thoughts?**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

 **A/N: I am surprised on how many of you thought Draco was cheating with Astoria last chapter. Hmm...  
Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I love hearing your thoughts and ideas! Also, please remember I'm no professional. I'm doing this for fun and because I love the Dramione ship. If you want to see something, the best thing you could possibly do is write it yourself! That being said, if you do, send me a link! I'd love to read it! **

**Chapter 9**

 **DRACO  
-Past-  
**

Granger's flat was exactly as he expected it. Small and unassuming and filled with far too many books. There was something about it, however, that seemed to resonate inside of him. Reminded him of a time when things had been simpler.

Hermione smiled as she sighed dramatically and slipped off her shoes. "What a waste of a perfectly good evening."

Draco hummed in acceptance as he stepped forward a little to peruse the books on her shelf.

"Henry is a good kid. A bit daft sometimes, but he's not _always_ like that." She said as she slipped in to her kitchen and grabbed two glasses and a bottle from the cupboard.

Draco bit back the retort as he watched her walk, a little unsteadily, towards her couch and sit down. "Hermione, I should-"

"I won't hear it." She said firmly, popping the cork on the bottle and pouring two drinks. "I invited you out for drinks and I intend to make good on that promise."

He sighed before he finally nodded and moved to sit beside her on the edge of her couch.

"Oh come on." She huffed, reaching out to push his shoulder. "Relax, you're not going to get my mudblood germs."

She chuckled at her own joke and Draco sighed as he stood up.

"Draco-" she stopped mid argument as he slipped his robes off to reveal the plain black button up beneath as he made himself comfortable on the couch and took the drink she had poured.

"Look, Hermione." He started, smirking as the heat rose to her cheeks presumably at the rare use of her first name. "I know I was an arse. Honestly, I still am. I'm not… good. I don't pretend to be. But I wish you would let the past stay in the past. I don't use that word anymore, and well, honestly I wish you wouldn't either."

He watched as her mouth gaped open as she stared at him before she finally nodded and quickly picked up her own glass, draining it in one long swallow.

"I'm sorry." She hiccupped once she had finished. "I guess I just..."

"No. Please, don't apologize." He said firmly. "I didn't mean…"

"No, you're right. You're absolutely right. I guess I didn't realize that it would bother you because-"

"Because I used it so much before?" He asked with a raised brow.

"No-"

"We all did things we aren't proud of, some of us more than others…"

"Draco." She said firmly, reaching out to grasp his arm. "I'm sorry. I really am. I didn't even think of it. How about- how about we start over?"

He smirked. "From when?"

"Hello, I'm Hermione Granger…" She laughed, reaching her hand out to him.

He smiled as he slid his hand in to hers and brought her knuckles up to his lips. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Granger."

And as he watched the blush spread across her cheeks once more, he made a mental note to send Henry a nice thank you card later in the week.

 **HERMIONE  
-Present-  
**

Hermione rubbed her hands together, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet as she stood outside the entrance to the Chudley Cannons quidditch pitch, trying to stay inconspicuous. In the fifteen minutes since she had arrived she had been approached no less than ten times and after offending at least half of those people by not remembering who they were, she had finally given in and bought a cap from one of the vendors nearby, pulling it as far as she possibly could over her head without obstructing her view of the other spectators arriving to the match.

She had realized, after she had turned down Malfoy's offer of arriving together, that it had been a mistake to come alone when so much had changed and she didn't remember any of it. Her stubbornness, however, had kept her from owling Malfoy to tell him of her change of heart, and after shrugging off Harry she had thought she could handle it.

Warring with herself, she considered apparating back to Grimmauld Place and explaining to Malfoy later. She didn't get a chance to follow through however as someone caught her arm and she gasped, twisting around as she yanked her arm out of their grasp only to come face to face with Malfoy.

"Hey. You alright?" He asked softly. "I was calling your name but…"

"Yeah." She said quickly, smiling at the little boy nestled in his arms. "Sorry, I'm just…"

"Don't apologize." He said firmly. "Not to me."

She bit her lip, nodding before she finally turned her gaze to Leo. "Are you excited?"

"Yes mummy!" The little boy cried, flinging himself in to her arms exuberantly, his cheeks already red from the frosty air. "Daddy said we can get sweeties!"

"Did he?" Hermione asked with a smile as Draco groaned beside her.

"He remembers _everything_." He said lowly.

"Well, obviously he gets _that_ from you." Hermione said, the words leaving her mouth as soon as they had popped in to her head and for a moment, she worried about his reaction.

She needn't have though as Malfoy let out a laugh, tipping his head back slightly and she watched in rapt fascination. She was sure that his laughter was something she heard often enough, but standing next to him with their son in her arms, she realized it was the first real laugh she could remember. One that wasn't heavy with the burden of their current predicament.

"Why, Ms. Granger, I believe you just made a joke." He finally drawled, his voice sounding so much like the boy she had known before that for a moment she stiffened and she forced herself to let out the breath she had been holding as they walked towards the ticket gate.

"Mummy isn't Ms. Gwanger." Leo said, wrinkling up his nose as he stared at his father. "She's a Malfoy like me and you and Ly-wa. Wight Mummy?"

She met his wide eyed gaze with a smile. "Absolutely."

And this time, she was sure she had never seen Malfoy smile so big.

* * *

Leo ended up falling asleep halfway through the match and Hermione didn't even flinch as she slid her arms out of her coat and laid it on top of him as he stretched out across the bench. Malfoy had disappeared to find the sweeties he had promised the boy and she sat with Leo's head in her lap, running her hand through his silky, brown hair and laughing at how perfect of a mix he was between his two parents. Between her and Malfoy.

"I can take him." Malfoy's voice was low in her ear and she jumped slightly as he handed her a hot chocolate and she shook her head.

"It's alright." She protested, smiling down at the sleeping boy.

"He adores you." Malfoy said as the crowd cheered again and though Hermione wished she knew why, she would lying if she said she had been paying even the slightest bit of attention to the game.

"He's a good boy." She nodded.

"He is." Malfoy agreed, but his eyes were tight as he turned back to the game as the crowd around them erupted again.

"Malfoy-" She started but she stopped, her voice leaving her and instead she took a drink of her chocolate and inspected the cup as though it held all the secrets to her missing memories.

"You can ask you know…" His voice was low and she turned to meet his earnest gaze. "The healers don't want to push you, but… sometimes I think you need to be pushed."

She smirked then and nodded. "I just… how do we… how do we not hex each other?"

Malfoy smiled then and sipped his own drink and for a moment, Hermione wasn't sure he would respond, and when he did, his answer surprised her. "We argue. All the time. Sometimes I think you pick fights just for the sake of arguing. Like our day isn't complete until we've argued at least once." He laughed. "But, we always make up. We always…find a way back to each other."

"So I've heard." She laughed before it quickly turned in to a shiver and she took a quick drink of her chocolate as she tried to hide the chill that ran through her.

She turned her attention back to the game before her, watching as the brooms zipped across the sky, creating a dizzying effect against the clouds and she wondered just how it was that the boys loved the sport so much when just the sight of it made her feel ill.

"Hermione?" She jumped at the sound of Draco so close to her ear and she turned to see him looking at her worriedly.

"Sorry, what?"

His lips quirked up at the corners as he reached over and placed his jacket around her shoulders gently before turning his attention back to the game. She smiled to herself as she continued to stroke Leo's hair and let the scent of Draco surround her.

 **DRACO  
-Past-  
**

He hated parties.

He especially hated these parties; parties where the partygoers gave him a wide berth and made snide comments behind his back. Parties he would much rather forgo but both his families name and their shaky social standing made sure that he was the first to arrive to such events and the last to leave.

Ministry soirees were at the top of this list.

"Draco" His mother said, her grip tightening slightly on his arm and he stopped midstride, knowing she needed a minute.

He waited patiently as she breathed in deeply through her nose and out through her mouth, until the vice grip on his arm loosened and her shoulders straightened back out. He knew she was utilizing the techniques the healer had suggested, things to help ward off the memories that threatened both of them daily. Finally, she nodded and they started forward again just as his eyes caught sight of the familiar bushy brown mane. It had been nearly a fort night since he had spent the night with Granger in her apartment, talking until the wee hours of the morning and she had finally fallen asleep on her sofa. He had left a note in his absence and had returned home to wait for an owl that never came.

"I didn't know Granger would be here." His mother said genially and he fought to keep the blush from his cheeks as he realized he had been staring.

"Nor did I." He finally said, hoping it would appease the nosey witch on his arm.

She was quiet for some time after that, before she finally pulled him to a stop. "Astoria, how lovely to see you dear."

Draco bit back the groan as his mother addressed the witch who seemed to appear out of nowhere. If Pansy hadn't been bad enough back in school, Astoria Greengrass was at least ten times worse.

"Draco" She nearly purred as she stepped forward at Narcissa's address. "It's so wonderful to see you. I was just telling Daphne how I hoped you would be here."

"Wonderful." He ground out, ignoring the look his mother was shooting him as he turned to look distractedly around the room, not even bothering to hide his boredom.

Astoria babbled on, his mother interjecting occasionally as he continued to ignore the two women until finally, his mother's nails dug in to his arm and he finally turned his attention back to the two ladies beside him.

"Yes Mother, sorry, what was that?"

"I said, why don't you take Tori out for a dance?"

"Oh, I don't…" He started to argue but quickly thought best as his mother met his gaze, her eyebrow raised before he finally sighed and held his arm out to the girl who took it a little too gleefully for his taste.

"Such a shame, don't you think?" Astoria asked as they moved on to the floor together.

"What is that?" He asked, trying to keep his voice light and even as she pushed herself in to him, wrapping his arms around her.

She lowered her voice, keeping her eyes locked on his as they moved to the waltz playing around them. "The fact that your father's interests are so unstable. I can't imagine what it must be like not knowing if you'll be able to care for your mother."

"What are you on about?" He hissed, his attention focused solely on the girl in his arms now.

"My father of course. You know, he managed to stay out of either side in the war. Kept his name clean, I'm sure you can see how that worked in his favor now. He was just telling me how sorry he was that he was going to have to pull his backing out of several of your father's ventures, now that he's been sentenced and is serving time."

Draco continued on with the dance, moving in careful time as he bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood. Astoria continued to smile as she held on to him, too tightly. He knew she was baiting him, he also knew how easy it would be to turn her down. His eyes drifted to his mother as she stood off to the side and partly in the shadows, her face paler than was normal, and he knew she had him. He pulled her slowly in to him, leaning down so that his lips brushed her ear slightly.

"What do you want?" He asked, drudging up some of the Malfoy charm he had worked so hard in his formative years to perfect.

Astoria giggled and he felt her hand slide down his side as she turned her head to catch his eye. "Oh, I'm sure you'll figure it out."

He opened his mouth, poised to demand that she name her price right then and there when he felt a hand on his arm and his feet stopped moving as he came face to face with Hermione Granger.

"Mind if I cut in?" She asked, a smile on her lips, and for a moment he considered scoffing and turning away, but as Astoria stepped away and she caught his hand in hers, he knew there was no way he could say no. Not to her.

He was so fucked.

 **A/N: I loved all of the reviews last chapter! Next chapter is ready to go!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **A/N: I was blown away by the reviews last chapter! I love every single one of them. I will be answering those that I can soon but wanted to get this out for you all! Please review!**

 **Chapter 10**

 **HERMIONE  
-Present-**

"You don't have to do this." Harry said, again, and Hermione fought the urge to pull her wand on him, again.

"Harry-"

"No, Hermione, no one expects you to return so soon. They all know that something happened and they all know that we're working on it and… well Kingsley wouldn't-"

" _Harry_ " She said firmly, moving in to the grate. "I am going back to work, whether you come with me or not. Please, don't make this any harder than it has to be."

Harry smiled sheepishly and grabbed his robes, rubbing the back of his neck. "You're right. I'm sorry, it's just, I worry about you."

"I know, and I'm grateful, really, I am. But I'm not made of glass. I won't break at the slightest touch. I promise, I'll be fine."

"Right, and if you aren't-"

"If I'm not, you're only a few doors away." She sighed and he smiled at her as she picked up the floo powder and spoke her destination plainly as the green flames swallowed her up.

* * *

"Mrs. Malfoy! How are you feeling?" The young witch asked, her cheeks pink and her long blonde hair pulled up haphazardly on her head as she ran to catch up to Hermione.

"Um… I'm good, thanks." Hermione said slowly as she began to wish she hadn't insisted on making the trek to her office without Harry's company.

"Good, great, Minster Shacklebolt sent down the rough draft of the proposal this morning and asked that I have you look over it once more before we push it to the wizengamot, also, Healer Edgecombe asked that you owl her once you return in order to discuss the Derrick case and how she should proceed. Also, if you have a chance, Malfada was hoping that you would be able to-"

Hermione's head was spinning as the witch in front of her continued to prattle on and finally, she spoke up. "I'm sorry, umm-"

"Oh." The girl said, looking slightly taken aback. "I'm Sadie… I've been your assistant for a few months now…"

"Right." Hermione sighed. "I'm sorry, it's just-"

"Hermione!" Ron appeared beside her, smiling widely as he handed her a steaming cup of tea, smiling at the witches. "Hey Sadie."

Hermione smirked as she watched the blush rise up the witch's neck and in to her too pale cheeks. "Mr. Weasley."

The witch looked slightly flustered under Ron's gaze and she looked down at her feet before she quickly thrust the stack of rolled parchment into Hermione's hands, turned and practically ran around the corner and out of sight.

"Mr. Weasley." Hermione mimicked the flustered witch, smiling at the man beside her.

Ron chuckled and reached out, taking some of the scrolls from her as she shifted the rest of her things in her arms.

"Did Harry send you?" She asked, thinking better of it only after the words had left her mouth as the man's smile faltered and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from screaming in frustration.

"I heard you were coming back today, thought you might be overwhelmed." Ron said quietly as the two started to walk to the door that held Hermione's name.

"Look… I know something is going on." Hermione started. "Not just between you and Harry. Ron… we were- we were engaged. I know Malfoy knows, I can just tell when we talk and-"

"You talk to Malfoy?" Ron asked, meeting her gaze finally.

"Of course I do. We have children Ronald…" Ron nodded but said nothing before she continued on. "I know there's something there but no one wants to just tell me what it is."

Ron sighed as Hermione finally reached her office and he reached out to open her door for her before setting her scrolls in her arms. "You're right. Look, Hermione, you're right and I do think you have a right to know but… not here. Okay?"

She gaped at him, worried that her hearing was going bad before she finally realized she wasn't going loony and he had indeed just agreed with her. "Right. Okay."

He chuckled lightly and reached out to open her door for her and letting her pass before he came in and set the scrolls down on her desk. "Look, how about we go out for dinner. Just the two of us…"

"Er… I don't-" she started to protest.

"No funny business." He laughed at the look on her face. "We used to go out for dinner all the time 'Mione."

"No. You're right." She said. "Dinner sounds lovely."

"Good." He smiled. "I'll owl you later to set it up. Robards is going to murder me if I'm late again."

She watched as he walked out, waving over his shoulder before he disappeared around the corner and she sat down, surveying the overflowing stacks of parchment on her desk with a great sigh. It was going to take her all day, she thought, before she finally just dived in to it realizing that sooner or later she was going to have to deal with the mess her life had become, she might as well start with her desk.

 **DRACO  
-Past-  
**

"You seem to get along well." Hermione said as they glided around the dance floor and he was careful to keep his hands stiff, his shoulders tight, as they moved. "Astoria I mean."

Draco scoffed and looked down his nose to meet her gaze. "No more than you and the Weasel, I presume."

Hermione's lips pursed and his eyes flickered to the rock on her finger and he saw her move her hand slightly as though trying to keep it hidden.

"Not what I would expect, that." He finally said, and his hand reached of its own accord to grab her hand, his thumb running along the ring on her finger. "Doesn't seem like you."

Hermione scoffed this time, but he noticed, with a small amount of glee that she didn't make a move to remove her hand from his grip. "Because you know me _so_ well, do you?"

He smiled as they turned and his fingers tightened around her hand as he pushed her away and pulled her back in to him, closer than he would have ever dared before. He could feel all the eyes on them but at the moment, he didn't really care.

"You would be surprised."

They were quiet as they moved and he watched her worry her bottom lip between her teeth and for a moment he was transported back to the alley, to the time his lips were on hers and the world had seemed suspended in time. In stillness. She breathed, and he looked back up to her eyes to see that she had caught him staring.

"So tell me, what would you expect?"

"Well, for starters, you've always been one to grab attention but never in the sense that this thing does." He said softly, and he let go of her hand to trail his hand down to her waist as she let her hand fall on his shoulder. "You like history, enough to have at least six copies of 'Hogwarts: A History' on your bookshelf and family is important to you. Both your own and your future family. Something new and flashy, it's not you, but an heirloom… I could see that."

Hermione cleared her throat and lifted her chin up as she tightened her grip on him once more just as the song slowly started to end. "Ronald did a wonderful job, I'm pleased…"

Draco smiled and nodded as the music slowly died and he nodded, pulling away from her to grab the hand on which the gaudy ring sat. "Keep telling yourself that."

And before she could protest he placed a kiss on her knuckles, straightened up and walked away, ignoring the stares and glares coming from every pair of eyes in the room, including the ones he had just turned away from.

 **HERMIONE**  
 **-Present-**

Four hours and three stacks of parchment later and she was sure there was no end to the disaster that had become her desk. Not only was she sure someone had cast a neverending work curse on her, she was also sure that she should have listened to Harry in the first place.

The job should have been straightforward, she should have known what in Godric's name she was doing. Instead she found herself resting her forehead on her fingertips as she fought off an impending headache and tried to remember what made her think returning at all was a good idea to begin with.

"'Mione?" She looked up as Harry stood in the doorway, his eyebrow raised as he took in the view of his best friend before him.

"Go ahead and say it." She sighed, leaning back in her chair and trying not to cry.

"Say what?"

"I told you so." Hermione cried, eliciting a small chuckle from the bespectacled man leaning against her doorframe.

"Never." He said softly and held his hand out, beckoning her to him. "Let's go get some lunch."

She thought about declining and burying her nose in the cataclysm in front of her but thought better of it as yet another yellow memo flew in through the opened door and dropped itself, unceremoniously, on her desk. Quickly she was up and out of her seat, crossing the room and taking Harry's hand in gratitude just as a picture played in her mind.

 _"_ _mione." Harry said, squeezing her hand. "he only thought-"_

 _"_ _I don't care what he thought Harry." She seethed and she tried to pull her hand away, only to have him hold on tighter. "He shouldn't have done it in the first place."_

 _"_ _Well, of course he shouldn't have done it." Harry said softly. "But that's who he is…"_

 _"_ _That's no excuse Harry." She all but yelled before the tears came rolling softly down her cheeks. "He made a fool of me and now everything is ruined!"_

She gasped as she looked to Harry, quickly pulling her hand from his as she leaned against the wall behind her for support. Her best friend looked on worriedly as she tried to regain more of the memory, only to have it slip through her fingers too quickly. She was sure though, that whatever she had remembered was just the beginning.

 **DRACO  
-Past-  
**

"You're staring again." She said, her voice low and he smirked to himself as he picked up his mug from the table, not bothering to break eye contact.

"So?"

Hermione rolled her eyes but picked up her own glass of butterbeer as she set back to her paperwork. "So, it's a little disconcerting is all."

Draco sat forward, setting his cup down as he leaned further in towards her. "How so?"

"Because… oh nevermind." She quipped and then she gasped.

"I know, I'm devilishly handsome, shame you're just realizing it." Draco quipped and Hermione glared at him from across the table.

"Shut up."

"Fine." He said, shutting his mouth tightly as he watched her. He had come to realize, in the short time that he had spent with Hermione that she could, and did, put up with him more so than he would have ever imagined possible. However, he also came to realize her little quirks, her tells for when to back off if you will. He was as surprised as she was to realize how well the two worked together.

He had tried to stay away, after the event they had attended. He had resigned himself to the fact that the last conversation he would have with Hermione Granger would be him mocking her engagement jewelry as they danced- well, he danced and she clumsily stumbled- to a stupid waltz. He was not expecting her owl a mere two days later asking him to meet her at the dingy little pub in Hogsmeade that seemed to reek of barn animals. She had, excitedly, shown him the files she had managed to pull of crimes against the Malfoy family in the past and he had _tried_ not to push her away again.

As was how he found himself now, watching as she read files and halfheartedly made conversation with him over semi stale biscuits and a grimy glass.

"Do you now the Rowle's?"

Draco scoffed. "Of course I know the Rowle's."

"Right." Hermione said, only glancing up then. "Sacred twenty-eight."

"Anyway-" He pressed.

"Anyway," She smirked. "Thorfinn Rowle was a death eater and-"

"An he was my cousin." Draco said tersely, picking at his too dry biscuit.

Hermione sighed then and he heard the sound of her slamming her folder closed as he finally looked back up to meet her gaze. "Okay, I'll bite, what's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Malfoy asked, trying to keep his tone light.

"I mean that you're being more broody and pithy than usual…"

"So you assume something is wrong?" He snapped.

"Well, yes, because I thought we were okay but today you're treating me like… well like we're back in Hogwarts."

His anger flared then and he leaned in, his voice hot and fierce. "You want to know what's wrong? What's wrong is that my family is no closer to finding out who is targeting our house elves, or us for that matter, and you're too worried about things that happened in the past to focus on what's happening right now. In the meantime you bring me to some seedy pub so that you don't have to be seen in public with me and I'm sure your _fiancée_ is none the wiser."

"Excuse me-" She retorted, meeting him halfway across the table as her face grew red. "Who do you think-"

"So tell me it's not true. Tell me you didn't pick this pub because no one here gives a rats arse about who you and I are and I will let it go. Tell me you haven't snuck away from wedding planning with the Weasel to meet me with some halfassed excuse-"

She looked down then, her fingers curling on the top of the table and he blanched as he stood up, tossing some coins on to the table. "Good-bye Granger."

He didn't stick around to hear her halfhearted excuses as he marched out into Hogsmeade and promptly apparated home. He cursed as he appeared in his foyer, reaching out to kick the stand beside the fireplace, enjoying the echoes it made as it skittered across the stone floor. He had tried, Merlin had he tried, but he should have known better. Girls like Hermione Granger belonged with boys like Ronald Weasley. The sooner he grasped that, he realized, the better


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

 **A/N: Huge thank you to Hufflepuffmommy who helped me sort through this. Also to my husband for fueling me with chocolate and gummy candy. I put a funny in here, see if you can find it!**

 **Chapter 11**

 **HERMIONE  
-Present-  
**

"I'm sorry, I'm just not very hungry." Hermione said as the two walked down the street arm in arm and Harry nodded.

"I know."

"Then where are we going?" She asked hesitantly. The two had left the ministry and went in to Muggle London, stopping only to transfigure their robes into inconspicuous muggle attire before they headed out.

"You'll see." He said vaguely as he continued to pull her down the street and she continued to be pulled along.

Finally, they came to a stop and she smiled as she saw the entrance to the park. "Ginny was bringing the kids today, thought you might need some cheering up." Harry explained.

"Of course I do!" Hermione laughed and the two walked in to the park together as they spotted the red head witch sitting on the bench by herself.

"Gin!" Harry called as they approached and Ginny smiled as she waved them over.

"Happy first day back at work Hermione!" Ginny laughed and Hermione couldn't help but smile back, her miserable first day fleeing to the back of her mind as she sat down beside her pregnant friend.

"Thanks. How are you holding up?" she asked.

"Miserable. I'm so ready to be done but it doesn't seem like this one has any intention of leaving any time soon, you know." Ginny reddened as she looked at Hermione, an apology in her eyes as soon as the words had left her mouth and Hermione turned to look at the children playing in the sand.

Her earlier anger peaked once more as she realized how much she was missing out on, two whole lives she had carried under her heart and she had no recollection of it at all.

Ginny reached for her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as she continued to watch the children play. It was only then that she realized something was off.

"Where are Malfoy and the kids?" She asked suddenly.

"Oh, did Harry not tell you? Leo is sick and Draco wanted to keep him- Hermione where are you going?"

Hermione hadn't the foggiest what she was doing but at the mention of Leo being sick she hadn't thought twice as she jumped to her feet.

"I- I need…" she stammered and Harry nodded.

"Go on then." He said softly. "Just try not to splinch yourself."

She took off then, waving at her friends over her shoulder as she fled the park and turned down an empty alley before she quickly disapparated with one place in mind.

 **DRACO  
-Past-  
**

"Slow down mate." Blaise said with a laugh as Draco tipped back his fourth- fifth, maybe- glass of firewhisky. "You're going to drink me out of house and home."

"Sod off." Draco muttered as he reached for the bottle that Blaise had surreptitiously swiped from him.

"Seriously, what is this about Draco?" Blaise asked again, moving to set the bottle down on the counter behind him as he turned to look at his friend. "Is everything okay?"

Draco stewed, he knew Blaise didn't approve of his relationship- or lack thereof- with Hermione Granger and he really didn't feel like explaining it all to his friend only to have to hear about it. On the other hand, however, he felt like if he didn't say something he was liable to explode.

He was underestimating his friend however who sighed as he picked up the bottle he had set down and handed it back to him. "It's Granger isn't it?"

Draco pursed his lips as he accepted the bottle and poured himself another generous glass and taking it in one fell swoop. It was answer enough for Blaise who looked at him with both frustration and pity. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

"See, that's where you're wrong." Blaise said, too loudly, and Malfoy snorted in to his glass as he watched his friend schmooze. He had a witch under each arm and they were hanging on to his every word.

The witch beside Malfoy shifted, her hand resting on his thigh and her fingernails dug in to his robe a little as she started to move upwards.

He swore as he reached down to pull her hand from his body and ignored the indignant look on her face as he did so before he stood up and took off towards the door.

"Drake!" Blaise yelled and he turned to see his friend crossing the room towards him unsteadily. "Where are you off to mate?"

Draco sneered. "I need to go."

"No." Blaise said tersely, "What you need to do is go over there and use Olive Rumpett to get your mind off of that mud-"

"Don't." Draco said fiercely and before he could even register it, his wand was out and pointing at his friend. "Don't Blaise."

Blaise narrowed his eyes at his friend but nodded as he took a step back. "Fine."

Before Malfoy could react, Blaise had turned and returned to the table filled with the women he would probably end up in bed with and Draco sighed as he left the pub.

It wasn't that he hadn't been eager to forget, as Blaise had suggested when the firewhisky had ran out at his flat, it had been- more to the point- that when that witch had dug her claws in that all he could think of was Hermione Granger and what she would think.

He felt ill.

Considering his options, Draco chose to continue walking around Diagon Alley. The shops were closed due to the late- early- hour and the streets were near empty but it was better than returning home where his mind would wander to dangerous places.

He meandered through the tight places, taking notice of things he had never really taken the time to see before. Like the fact that there was a chip on the nose of the head on the front of the Weasley's joke shop and that the jellied eel shop had a red door with a purple knob.

He was so busy taking in his surroundings, trying to keep his mind busy, that he didn't notice the shadow that followed him until he turned, ready to head further in to the alley and white hot pain seared through him before he hit his knees and the world slowly faded to black.

 **HERMIONE  
-Present-  
**

She was running up the front steps of Malfoy manor and she didn't really care. She knocked frantically as soon as she reached the top and was surprised when the door opened midway through her fifth knock.

"Hermione?" Draco asked quietly, looking around her. "Are you-"

"Leo is ill?" she breathed.

Draco's eyes narrowed slightly but he opened the door a bit wider, "he has a cold,"

"I want to see him," she said quickly.

Draco studied her for a moment but finally stepped aside, allowing her to enter the house. "He's sleeping at the moment. Mother took Lyra to aunt Andromeda's for the day so as not to disturb him…"

"Have you given him pepper-up potion? He likes it in the blue cup best but-" she trailed off, her eyes wide and her jaw slack as she realized what she had done.

"Did you-" Draco took a small step toward her, his hand outstretched.

"No," she shook her head, "Only that. I don't know where it came from…"

"Mummy?"

The pair turned to find Leo standing at the top of the steps, still clad in his rumpled pyjamas and a dingy blanket hanging between his fingers.

"Yes Leo, mummy is here," she answered, slipping off her jacket as she made her way up the stairs and picked up the little boy as he held his hands out to her.

She was vaguely aware of Draco following behind her as she made her way into Leo's room and laid him gently in his bed.

"Lay with me mummy?" he asked once she had settled him between his green and gold covers.

"Of course," she smiled and she settled down beside him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders as he nestled against her and she gently placed a kiss on the top of his head.

"I missed you mummy," he said softly and her heart broke for the little boy she couldn't remember, "don't leave us again?"

Hermione blinked heavily, her eyes drifting to the door as she saw Draco watching the exchange and finally she nodded, "I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

"Do you think it wise?" Draco asked from across the table.

Hermione shrugged, "I don't know, but I know that I don't want to be away from them any longer. I understand if you don't want me here-"

He looked up sharply then, "I always want you here,"

She felt her shoulders relax slightly but she powered on, "I don't know what I'm doing Malfoy, I'm scared and I feel more alone than I ever have before but… I don't want to spend any more time away from my children- our children."

She looked away then, studying her hands as they sat in her lap, "I'll set up the guest room for you."

Nodding in thanks, she stood up with him, a thought occurring to her as she did, "Draco-where are your house elves?"

Draco swallowed loudly but he finally smiled wryly, "I'm afraid that is a story for another day."

 **DRACO  
-Past-  
**

He came back to consciousness slowly, like the giant squid breaking the surface of the black lake, the unconsciousness slowly dripping away as his eyes adjusted.

"Hey mate," the voice said lowly to his right and he blinked as he met Blaise's worried gaze, "How are you feeling?"

Draco groaned, "Like I took on a mountain troll," he croaked and grimaced as his entire being protested the action.

"Draco?" he startled then, turning to see Hermione beside him, her eyes heavy with sleep and she jumped up, "I'll fetch a healer."

Before he could so much as nod, she was gone, her bushy hair whipping behind her.

"She's frightening that one." Blaise said seriously, his lips pulled down into a frown.

Draco gulped, flinching as his dry throat revolted and Blaise handed him a cup of water.

"What happened?" he finally managed to ask between drinks, watching his longtime friend carefully.

"You left the pub in a huff, I was going to let you go but I didn't want you to do something stupid, like show up on Granger's doorstep." The man rolled his eyes, "I followed you out eventually and when I finally found you-"

"Crucio," Draco mumbled, "I heard it, felt it, before-"

Blaise nodded, "Whoever it was left you in a right state."

Draco looked at the man before him, noting the look of regret on his friend's face. Neither of them were strangers to the cruciatus curse. Not only had it been one of Voldemort-and his aunt Bella's- favorite punishments but Blaise had seen enough of it in recent years during his work in the auror's office. The way his body felt now, however, was different.

"Bloody Granger showed up not too long after they'd gotten you back here. Heard about it from the Weasel I'm sure, she's a right pain in the-"

"Mr. Malfoy," the healer appeared in the doorway, his face a look of stern consternation as he approached the bedside, Granger hot on his heels. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I took on a mountain troll," Draco repeated the sentiment from earlier as the healer pulled out his wand and got down to business and Draco looked anywhere but at Hermione, their last words to each other playing in his mind.

The healer finished up, promising some pain potion within the hour, before he finally took his leave and Blaise followed shortly after, ignoring the daggers Draco was glaring at him as he whistled a happy little tune to himself as he disappeared.

"Draco-" Hermione started once they had left.

"Don't Granger-" he started.

"No," the witch said, her voice firm and full of conviction. "Draco, you were right. What you said before…you were right."

Draco couldn't help but stare then, his jaw hanging open tactlessly and his eyes, no doubt, bugging out of his head.

"I told you that you should try, to let go of the past but I couldn't even do it myself. I let someone else dictate what I wanted for myself and I shouldn't have…" she trailed off, her cheeks pink and for a second, Draco wanted to reach out and touch her hand. He tamped it down though and clenched his jaw, turning his eyes upon the charmed window overlooking his bed.

He heard her sigh, could see her shoulders shake slightly out of the corner of his eye and yet still, he looked on.

"Draco, I'm sorry."

The silence carried on, the stillness of the air surrounding her words seemed to hang around them like the thick smoke of a billowing potion and Draco knew that he held the cards in his hand. All he had to do was chuck them out the window. To say goodbye to Hermione Granger once and for all.

Instead, he turned, eyeing the folder that sat on the table beside her chair and nodded his head, "Well don't just sit there, find out who did this to me so we can fry the bastard."

She beamed then, pulling the ever growing stack of parchment and her insufferable muggle ink pen into her lap as she delved into what she had been working on while he had been unconscious and he realized he had made his choice long before then.

There was no going back.

One way or another Hermione Granger was going to be the death of him.

 **A/N: I almost left this as a cliffie. You're so very welcome that I changed it last minute. Also, this weekend my small hometown in the middle of nowhere is having a huge arts and crafts festival. My husband's family runs a haunted house every fall in an old opera house so we'll be there this weekend drumming up some business so I may or may not get around to an update! Reviews might spur me on a little bit though. (wink)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **A/N: I love every single one of your reviews and I'm sorry if I didn't get to reply to yours. I thought you might like this better.  
That being said, this was a very hard chapter for me when I wrote it. You'll see why. Also, I'm sorry in advance. **

**One more thing, I am not European as I've said before. I have been to Europe but I know it's not the same. That being said, I had to look up some things to make them more appropriate. One such thing was Jell-O. Why do things have to be so hard? I read it was called 'jelly' forgive me if this is wrong and we'll excuse it to my being American and clueless. Also, when I was in Europe I had a good laugh at the "American" sections in the grocery stores. I promise you we don't all eat junk food though an occasional twinkie is nice.**

 **Chapter 12**

 **Draco  
-Past-**

"I don't bloody know Granger, maybe someone who wanted to _kill_ me?" he snapped, waving his jelly covered spoon at her as she stopped her pacing to glare at him.

"So I'm _Granger_ again am I?"

"Technically you're _always_ a Granger." He smirked and neatly dodged the wadded up piece of parchment she lobbed at his head.

It had been like this the past week; every day she would show up for lunch and stick around for a few hours as she tried to puzzle together what had happened to him while he took the piss out of her and enjoyed every second of it. He would never admit it but he counted the minutes until she arrived there every day.

"You're not _helping_ ," she sighed as she flopped down on the chair beside his bed, "Did you even read the reports I gave you?"

He made a face; of course he had read the reports, the ones that said he had been found with blood pooling out of his ears and dribbling down his chin while lying in a puddle of his own piss. Of course he had read them but thinking about them was entirely different.

"Sorry," she said softly, reaching out to squeeze his fingers, "any word on when they'll be letting you out of here?"

He rolled his eyes at her not so subtle change of subject but accepted it anyway, "No. Mother said the healer was hoping for tomorrow-"

"Everyone is hoping for tomorrow Draco. You don't have to be such an arse to everyone here."

"I'm not-"

She raised an eyebrow and he shook his head, feigning innocence he knew she would never believe and smirking when she swatted at his arm.

"Don't you two look cozy," they both looked up, wide eyed at the figure that stood in the doorway.

"Ronald," Hermione breathed and Draco didn't miss the way she slowly pulled her hand away from his, resting it instead in her lap. "What are you doing here?"

"My job," the redhead said, his brow furrowed as he walked into the room and Draco swallowed as he saw another of Potter's lackey's enter behind him. The kid was young, Draco could remember his older brother from Hogwarts, but he looked worn and weathered. They had used to call them the 'Creepy' brothers then. Draco would never admit to anyone that he had attended the older boy's funeral just as he had Fred Weasley's.

"We need to speak with Mr. Malfoy," the weasel said, his eyes never leaving Draco and he saw Hermione shift out of the corner of his eye.

Before he could think about it, his hand shot out, catching her around the wrist and he nodded once to her before he turned back to the men before him, "Go ahead."

The weasel's jaw clenched but he nodded, his eyes hard as the other man stepped forward, setting down two photos before him. He heard Hermione's sharp intake of breath as the photo caught his eye and his stomach rolled uncomfortably as he fought back the urge to vomit.

The house elf was much the same as the others had been, but he knew this elf. Had seen it many times before when he visited during school holidays. The difference between this time and the others however was the body that lay mere inches away.

"No," he breathed, looking back at the weasel, if only to not have to look at that anymore.

Weasley nodded, "His girlfriend found him, you're listed as next of kin."

Draco blinked fiercely and dug his fingernails into his palm, the sting of pain enough to keep him level headed.

"How?" He wanted to ask more but he stopped, worried his voice would betray him. As if on Cue he felt Hermione's hand on his arm.

"Draco, I'm so sorry." She breathed and it was only then that he finally gave in, the hot tears rolling over his lashes as they trailed silently down his too cold cheeks.

Numb. Everything was numb.

"Hermione? May I speak with you?" Weasley said tensely as the remaining Creevey brother stepped forward, quill at the ready.

"May I get a statement from you Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco nodded, his eyes unseeing as the picture flashed before his eyes once more, despite no longer being in front of him. Of the house elf lying face up in a pool of blood and Blaise Zabini's lifeless form mere feet away.

His best friend was dead.

And he was alone.

 **HERMIONE  
-Present-  
**

She stood in the middle of the lavish guest room, decorated in hues of cream and brown, her small duffel bag opened on the large four poster bed before her. She should remember this or at least some tiny fragment of it but as she stared at her opulent surroundings all she can remember is the feeling of the cruciatus curse burning her to her core, completely ravaging her from the inside out as Draco Malfoy stood by in a corner.

"Are you alright?" Draco's worried voice sounded from the door and she nodded as she turned to find him leaning against the doorframe, his hands deep in his pockets.

She nodded, pushing away the unease as she gave him a small smile, "I'm fine."

He narrowed his eyes, walking slowly forward into the room as though waiting for her to pull her wand on him. "I think… I think it would work best if we didn't lie to each other."

She bit her lip before she finally nodded once more, "I don't remember this, any of it. I wish I could but I don't and all I _can_ remember is…"

His eyes darkened slightly, no doubt understanding her unspoken words, "Come with me."

With that, he turned on his heel, walking back out of the door he had appeared through and down the hall. She hesitated only for a second before she was walking with him, taking note of their path as they walked down the hallway, a set of steps and finally, into the large and open room.

"This was the first place I had seen you, after you spoke for me at my trial-"

"I did?"

He smirked, "It wasn't much. Just that I had given you three a chance to escape. Potter's testimony really clenched the deal though. When you showed up here my mother had me bring you here, to this room. You hardly hesitated then. When I asked you later, why it didn't bother you to be here you said it was because it was just a room. That the evil that happened here was long dead and gone with a mad man and my lunatic aunt" he stepped forward, close enough to her that she could smell him and without her permission her body leaned into it slightly as though yearning to be closer. "This is our home Hermione, whether you remember it or not. I don't want you to be afraid of it, or me. All you have to do is ask."

His voice was low but sure and steady as he too leaned into her. She was hardly aware of the fact that his hand had reached out to grasp hers, his thumb running along the back of her hand, leaving the skin pebbled in its soft wake. She opened her mouth, ready to thank him, when the doors flung open and they both wheeled around as Leo bound into the room, Lyra hot on his heels.

"Mummy! You're home!" he shouted as he launched himself at her and she bent down just in time to catch him round the middle, pulling him in tight as she opened her other arm to her daughter.

She smiled against their hair as she kissed both their crowns, relishing in the soft scent of the children in her arms because no matter what, this is why she was coming back. Whether she remembered it or not, they were her family. They were her home.

 **DRACO  
-PAST-  
**

"Draco, you have to eat." His mother said sternly, though she lacked the usual emphasis as she pushed the tray closer to him.

He breathed in, the sound hollow, and he wondered if it was supposed to be him; if Blaise had died because he hadn't and the thought of that made him feel ill all over again.

"Draco-" it was Hermione's voice this time and he turned his eyes onto her worried brown ones. She had left with the weasel, her _fiancé_ he reminded himself and hadn't returned until now.

"Why are you crying?" he asked, his throat scratchy and dull as he noticed the puffy, redness of her eyes.

"Really?" she hiccupped. "You're going to be worried about me right now?"

He shook his head, blinking his too tired eyes, "You left."

She looked to his mother, a silent conversation passing between them before his mother finally stood up, patting his arm once before she left the room.

"Draco, Ronald wants to close the case."

He blinked.

When he said nothing she continued on, "He _feels_ that Blaise may have been responsible for the house elves deaths and that the guilt overtook him resulting in him to take his own-"

"Bullshit." He spat, his voice lethal as he cut her off and he saw her flinch away from him as he realized he had slammed his hand down on the tray.

"Draco-"

"Don't you dare try to defend that stupid git to me Granger, you bloody-"

"Stop!" she yelled, her own voice echoing over his as his argument died down, "I don't want to but I will cast a silencing charm on your face if you can't shut up for five seconds and listen to me."

Her gaze was stern as she waited and when he didn't argue she continued on.

"Something is up. With him. With that whole bloody department. I'm going to find out what it is."

"Ask Potter," he snarled, "The chosen one knows everything."

She shook her head, "That's the thing, Harry is up for a promotion and he's been working with the trainees recently. Ron took over most of the cases and something isn't right. I'm going to get to the bottom of it Draco but until then you have to eat. Blaise… he wouldn't want this."

It was a low blow, and she knew it, that much he could tell. But it worked as he pulled the soup towards him and slowly started spooning it into his mouth. Not tasting a thing as it went down.

 **HERMIONE  
-Present-  
**

Her first night in the manor was uneventful. She had helped Draco put the children to bed and retired to her room quickly after. She had ignored the soft knock on her door, her eyes clenched tight and her arms wrapped around her knees. She felt the cowardice as though it were a disease, spreading through her body quickly though and as she forced herself out of the bed to open the door, ignoring the hammering of her heart, only to find the hallway dark and empty by the time she had opened the door.

She tried to tell herself it wasn't relief she felt as she slid back into bed and closed her eyes.

Three hours later however and she was still awake, her mind a jumbled mess of thoughts and she realized that sleep was futile as she slid out of the bed and wrapped herself in the soft blue robe that had appeared in her room when she had returned for the evening.

She padded down the hall, her wand lighting her path, and though she walked without aim or knowledge of the manor before her she wasn't the least bit surprised when she ended up in the library.

She was, however, surprised to find that it was already occupied.

"Oh, Hermione," Malfoy said as she appeared in the doorway and he quickly closed the book in his hands as he stood up from his place on the settee. "Are you alright?"

She nodded, "couldn't sleep. I'm not bothering you am I?"

"What?" he looked down to the book in his hands, "No, not at all I'm… well I'm researching."

Moving closer she took note of the books strewn across the table as well as the files that seemed to litter the area. "These are the files Harry brought home…"

"Copies actually, but yes." He supplied and he sat back down, putting the yellow book in his lap. "I've made a list, of everyone affected by memory problems-"

"I've already done that-" she countered, moving towards the sofa and perching on the edge of the cushion.

"Yes, but you've only covered those who haven't had it broken. Or… successfully broken."

"That's because there haven't been."

He turned, a pale eyebrow raised and shook his head, turning the book to show her. "That's where you're wrong."

The book slid easily into her hands and her brow furrowed as she read the words before her. "Draco, this isn't a-"

"It is." He smiled as she read the words he had marked in the muggle book.

"But the healers said it wasn't-"

"The healers also said you may never be able to conceive but that turned out to be wrong."

"Well… wait, what?" she said, looking up at him in surprise.

She had known, of course she had known that she and Draco had at one point been intimate. The spoils of which were currently sleeping down the hallway, tucked safely in their beds. The idea that they had planned for children, however, was news to her.

"I shouldn't have said that," he sighed, his shoulders sagging as he reached up to run a hand down his face.

"You said before, that if I wanted to know, I just had to ask," she stated firmly, "I'm asking now. I want… I need to know more about them Draco. I need to know in case it never comes back."

She bit her lip to keep it from quivering as she thought about all she would miss. All she _was_ missing, and finally, Draco nodded.

"We tried for a while, to have a child. It seemed that nothing was working. I was worried that it might have been me. There were… rumors, surrounding the purebloods. That we were dying off because we couldn't produce heirs. It made sense, seeing as my mother had lost so many… Anyway, we saw a healer and they said that because of what had happened to you. Here. That you may never be able to conceive, let alone carry a magical child to term."

"But they were wrong."

He smiled fondly, "They were. Not even a year later Leo was born."

She felt her heart squeeze and she nodded, "What was he like, when he was a baby?"

Draco was quiet, and for a moment, she was worried he wouldn't tell her but then he started speaking. He told her of the infant that hardly cried and of the nights he had crept into his nursery and plucked him from his cot just to hold him close, to feel his soft breaths. Of the precocious toddler who had walked early and spoken in full sentences at not even two years old. He talked of the little boy who loved his mother and often tried to use the floo to find her at work. She felt her eyes begin to grow heavy and it wasn't until they had closed, that she realized she had fallen asleep to Draco Malfoy's soothing voice.

When she woke next the sun was shining and she found herself back in her room, the library from the night before feeling more like a dream than a memory and as she dressed for work, she hoped that it wasn't. 

**A/N: Review?**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **C** **hapter 13**

 **Hermione  
-Present-  
**

"Sadie? Do you think you could help me on this Jensen file?" Hermione asked as she walked out of her office, her hair falling out of its makeshift restraint and into her eyes once more and she really wished she had taken Narcissa up on the offer to cast a charm to keep it in place before she ran into the floo this morning. It hadn't been a particularly good morning with Draco being called away and Hermione being clueless as to how her children were used to getting ready in the morning and she had never been more grateful for her mother-in-law (it still felt odd to say that) than she had been as the woman had pulled Leo from her legs and soothed the still crying toddler who hadn't wanted blueberries in her yogurt but had asked for them repeatedly.

"Of course Mrs. Mal- Ms. Granger." Sadie said as she jumped from where she was sitting just as Ron appeared around the corner.

"Hermione, you look awful." He said and the witch rolled her eyes at him as she slid the case files into Sadie's waiting arms. "Good morning Sadie."

"Mr. Weasley," the witch blushed and Hermione repressed a chuckle as she motioned for Ron to follow her back into her office, shutting the door behind them.

"You torment that poor girl," she reprimanded once they were behind closed doors.

He sniggered but his expression showed he knew she was right as he flopped down into her office chair, "I can't help it that I'm so famous."

"Yes, well I'm famous too and you don't see her acting like that when I call her name."

He smirked, "Oh, I see, forget everything else but remember that you're famous."

"Shut up," she laughed, "What did you come here for anyway if not just to bother me?"

"I came to see about dinner."

She repressed a groan, "Ron…"

"Dinner Hermione. That's it," he held his hands up in surrender and she warred with herself before finally, she nodded.

He seemed satisfied with that as he picked at the box of Bertie Bott's on her desk and she reached out to swat at his hand as he popped a few into his mouth before quickly making a face.

"You deserved that," she muttered as she picked up the box and moved them out of the way while Ron chewed.

 _"_ _It's about Malfoy isn't it?" he seethed, his face red with anger and she felt her head shake as much as her hands._

 _"_ _It's not," she argued hotly, "It's about you and what you've done."_

 _"_ _I didn't do anything you wouldn't have done Hermione. Look at what they did. To your mom. To you."_

 _"_ _No," she shook her head, and he took a step forward his hand reaching out and she took another step back. "You don't get to do that Ron."_

 _"_ _Then who does?" He bellowed, his voice thick and rough and full of emotion as she finally stepped into the floo, ignoring his question as she grabbed the handful of powder. "You'll regret this 'Mione. Maybe not now but one day, you will."_

 _And with that, she was gone._

"'Mione?" Ron was leaning up, leaning over the desk, his head near to hers, a worried expression on his face and she pushed away from him.

"Sorry, what did you say?" she blinked.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly, his hand reaching out to tuck back a stray curl and she flinched away from his hand before she could stop herself, trying to ignore the guilt as a hurt look settled upon his features.

She nodded finally, moving to stand up, "Yes, sorry just… got thinking about work." The lie came easily and she ignored his lingering look as she plastered a smile on her face. "What were you saying?"

"Tonight? Meet me in the Leaky?"

"Sounds great!" she spouted off, ignoring his questioning glance as she saw him out and, closing the door behind him, she rested her head on the door, her heart steadily beating a path through her chest as she tried to hold onto the memory that had presented itself. Because she was sure that she had just seen the moment of the fracture in her and Ron's relationship, she just couldn't figure out what it was.

 **DRACO  
-PAST-  
**

Draco Malfoy forgot many things. He forgot to do his homework lessons, he forgot to return his mother's owls and one particularly painful time he forgot Pansy Parkinson's birthday. One thing he never forgot, however, was what it felt like to be on the receiving end of Hermione Granger's anger.

Of course he had never admitted it to anyone and the only people who had witnessed the event that had meant anything to him had been sworn, by an unbreakable vow, to secrecy. That wasn't to say that he ever could forget however because if there was one thing he was sure of it was that Hermione Granger was not one to be messed with.

Which was why he was currently smirking like the cat that ate the cannoli, or something like that, as he watched the witch in question pace in his bedroom.

He had been discharged from St. Mungo's earlier that week, with the strict instructions to stay in bed and rest. While his younger self would have relished in the fact that he had yet to lift a finger the entire time he had been home, his current self was missing being able to do, well, anything.

Hermione had left promptly after their last conversation to figure out what the Weasel was hiding and while he hadn't been privy to the more intricate details of her plan, he was sure it was less than virtuous. He ignored the unfamiliar tightening in his gut at the thought of her unsavory tactics and continued watching the witch pace. She had shown up in a huff, tossing her bag down on his chair and had swiftly launched into a tirade that currently had her cursing the weasel's last breath.

He could watch it all day.

"Are you even listening to me?" she rounded on him and he felt his eyes widen before he nodded.

"Of course I am… mostly," he amended at the end, ignoring her glare as he had become so used to doing as of late.

If anyone had told him years before that he would be here, he would have laughed in their faces. Instead, he smiled to himself and settled back down amongst his pillow.

"Anyway," Hermione continued as she flopped down on the edge of his bed and curled her ankles up underneath her, "I haven't been able to find out anything because suddenly Ronald is so busy in the field and I just, _know_ something is going on."

They were interrupted by the sound of the elf appearing in the bedroom, a tea tray in their hands with Draco's breakfast balanced.

"Hello Mistress Granger," the elf said with a bow before he brought the tray to Draco's bed and settled it upon the duvet.

"Hello Topsy, how are you this morning?" she smiled at the elf and Draco rolled his eyes as he sat up and started buttering his bread, ignoring the conversation that was happening at the foot of his bed before the elf gave one last bow and disappeared loudly and Hermione stood up, grabbing her things from the chair. "I'll be back over this evening with those files if you feel up to it and-"

Draco was nodding, not really listening as he picked up his Daily and unfolded it, his toast clattering to the tray as he took in the moving picture on the front page, "Granger-"

"Maybe we could order in from that takeaway place you like so much-"

"Granger-"

"I know I could use it, but I do have to be at the burrow tomorrow for-"

"Hermione!" He bellowed finally, her mouth hanging open as she met his gaze and he turned the paper to show her the picture on the front, "I think I've figured out what's going on in the auror department."

She crossed the room quickly, her belongings forgotten as she dropped them hastily in the chair and ripped the paper from his grip, tearing the back page as she took it in, her cheeks flushing brightly before she finally growled, "That son of a bitch."

 **HERMIONE  
-Present-  
**

 _Working Late, Don't wait up._

 _-H_

She sighed as she finished the letter and blew on it to dry the ink before she rolled it up. She told herself she wasn't lying to him but she knew how he felt about Ron and she knew telling him she was meeting him for dinner could not possibly end well; even if it was just for dinner. She warred with herself for fifteen more minutes before she finally tied the parchment to the owl and sent it on its way.

The owl returned quickly and she slipped off the parchment hesitantly, unrolling it slowly but smiling to herself as she read what was written there.

 _Thank you for letting me know.  
-D_

 _LOVE YU MUMMY  
-LEO_

She tucked the parchment into her desk, smiling at the photos of her children that adorned her desk before she ducked her head and got back to work.

The day passed quickly after that and before she realized it, it was time to leave to meet Ron in Diagon Alley. She floo'd to the iconic meeting place, ignoring the glances that people shot her way as she appeared in the grate before stepping out and looking around until she spotted the familiar telltale shock of red hair.

"Hey, there you are." Ron said as she approached, finishing his glass of butterbeer with one last swallow before holding his arm out to her, "Ready to go?"

She steeled herself but finally nodded, "As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

They walked out of the pub and down the cobbled streets, Ron telling her about his day at work and asking about hers as they approached the wizarding restaurant that had taken up prime residence in Diagon Alley.

"You love this place, though you probably don't remember it. Ernie McMillan runs it, best food around," he smiled as he walked up, opening the door for her and letting her walk in.

The place really was grand, as if the name alone, Château de la Magie, weren't enough. Chandeliers adorned the ceilings, their twinkling lights suspended by magic above the diners and Hermione felt nostalgic as she realized that the ceiling had also been charmed to reflect the sky above and she thought back to Hogwarts and her first home away from home.

"Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Malfoy, how wonderful to see you." The maître d' said with a broad smile and Hermione felt herself step away from the man beside her slightly.

They were led to their table without any fanfare and Hermione was grateful when Ron didn't try to pull her chair out for her before she slid down into it, noting for the first time the eyes turned upon them.

"So," Ron started, once they were seated and had ordered their drinks, "how are you doing? With all of this?"

She shrugged as their drinks appeared before them and she reached out to grasp the stem of the wine glass, running her finger along the edge, "It's difficult. Probably the most difficult thing I've ever done."

Ron nodded, "I'm surprised you were back at work already. I mean, not that I don't think you could do it but you seemed so disoriented in St. Mungo's."

She gave him a wry smile and drank generously from her glass, "The children make it easier."

"They're cute kids," Ron offered, "Leo is bloody brilliant, no question as to where that came from."

She chuckled then, her shoulders relaxing slightly against the chair, "He is and he's such a sweet child. Calm. Lyra is the complete opposite. Sometimes it's hard to believe they're brother and sister. But she must take after Draco-"

She trailed off when she met Ron's gaze, his furrowed brow and his pinched expression. Obviously her husband was still a sore subject for the man, which reminded her-

"You said before, that you would tell me about what happened."

Ron nodded, leaning back in his chair and studying her face intently before he began, "Look, what you have to understand is that not everything is as it seems."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that-"

"What are you doing Weasel?" They both turned at the sound of Draco's voice filtering through the air as they saw him approach their table.

Hermione frowned as she took stock of his appearance. He was dressed nicely in black muggle slacks and a grey button up, his jaw clenched tightly and his lips pulled into the sneer Hermione hadn't seen for so long. The same sneer that he used to use when looking down his nose at her. Despite everything she felt the anger bubble up inside of her at how her husband was looking at Ron Weasley, as though he were beneath him. She pushed her chair back from the table, tossing her napkin down on her plate, anticipating an argument as Ron did the same.

" _We're_ having dinner ferret," the redhead man supplied, "So if you wouldn't mind leaving us alone."

"I do bloody well mind Weasley, you _know_ what they said and I know your sister warned you." Malfoy growled and Hermione suddenly felt more inquisitive than angry.

"She deserves to know Malfoy." Ron said, his voice tight.

"No-"

"Yes," it was Hermione that interrupted this time and she was sure that they had the attention of the entire restaurant at this point. "I do deserve to know. In case you haven't noticed, my entire life has been ripped out from under me and for once all I want is some damned answers."

Malfoy turned then and his grey eyes mirrored a stormy sky but there was something else there, something just below the surface and for a moment she could see it. The pain, loss, and anger he felt shone brightly through his stare before it vanished just as quickly. "You're right but I refuse to let you get it from him."

"Draco-" they all turned once more as Astoria appeared behind him, winded from what Hermione could only assume was a quick jog to keep up and her hand tightened into a fist.

"Tell your father the meeting will have to wait, I have business to attend to with my wife." Draco snapped, not even bothering to look at the woman as he reached out and grabbed Hermione's hand and before she could so much as pull away, he had apparated them away.

 **A/N: I don't know French. Translation app helped me with Ernie McMillan's restaurant. Also, I'm a Hufflepuff and I like food AND the dormitories were by the kitchen so I'm using that to draw on as my Ernie is a wizard chef idea. I hope that doesn't upset my fellow Hufflepuffs!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

 **A/N: Is anyone still out there? I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, it's kind of the start of some things that need to happen to propel the story forward. I hope that makes sense. In any case, let me know what you think! And sorry for the wait! I hope this was worth it!**

 **Chapter 14**

 **Hermione**  
 **Present**

They apparated into the manor directly and Hermione yanked her hand away as soon as she had steadied herself on her feet. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Last I checked, your _husband_ ," the man drawled and she bit her tongue to keep it from moving, from saying things she might regret later. before she turned on her heel and started off down the hall and up the stairs. She heard him growl before his heavy footsteps sounded behind her, "'Mione."

He was following her and his hand snaked out, wrapping around her waist and drawing her back. She reacted first, her palms slapping against his chest as she tried to pull herself away from him once more but he held tight.

"Stop," he commanded.

She huffed but stopped fighting, hoping he would let her go once she had, instead he held tighter, his fingers settling along her hip like they belonged there and she wanted to scream.

"Let me go," she swore dangerously. "now."

"Not until you listen to me," he said, none too gently.

"Why?"

"Because you lied to me, I think the least you can do is hear me out," he barked and she sighed but kept her mouth shut. "You're right, you do deserve answers but there's a reason no one has been giving them to you. The healers don't know what's wrong with you. You shouldn't even be here Hermione, you should be locked up in a room like Gilderoy Lockhart. Those same healers are worried if we overwhelm you, if we tell you too much it will confuse you or plant memories that aren't real in your head. It's the reason everyone has been keeping a distance. They had hoped that if you got back to your routines that something might spark, might bring them back but they aren't- they aren't optimistic now. I mean, it's been weeks-"

He trailed off then, letting go of her and turning as he ran a hand through his blonde hair and Hermione braced herself as she opened her mouth. "I've had some…things come back."

"What?" he asked, turning abruptly to face her.

"I mean, there was the thing with Leo obviously but today I _saw_ something, with Ronald."

Draco's face hardened, "And you didn't think to tell me?"

"I didn't-"

"You lied to me, about where you were going. Was it because of that?" his voice rose and she felt her irritation mount.

"No, I lied to you because I knew you would act like this." She shouted back and she saw a look of surprise flash across his face before he quickly cleared it up. "You say the healers don't want to confuse me? Well, I'm already confused Draco. I didn't tell you about Ron because I knew how you'd react, and obviously I was right."

He inched forward then, his breath fanning across her face as he spoke lowly, "You don't understand-"

"No, you're right. I don't understand;" she countered quietly, "So help me. Help me understand Draco."

He closed his eyes, a crease forming between his brows, before he finally opened them up once more, meeting her gaze as he whispered, "I'm trying, you have to know that."

She shook her head sadly, "I don't know anything."

He was quiet for a beat before he reached out, his hands finding her hips once more as he leaned down, his forehead pressing against hers, "You know _me_ Hermione. You do. You just… have to come back. Come back to me."

The air was heavy around them, the silence broken only by the sound of a distant clock ticking from somewhere deep within the manner as she tilted her head to look up at him through her lashes, her own voice breathy as she replied, "I'm trying."

And then his lips were on hers, his fingers trailing lazy circles upon her exposed flesh as the motion set her skin on fire and she found herself leaning into the kiss, her own fingers tangling in the soft hair at the nape of his neck as she pulled herself closer to him and for a moment, she was free. The bounds of her memory loss were gone as she felt whole in his arms, like the missing part of her had been filled by his mere presence flush against her body. The high was over too soon however as she pulled away, chewing on her lip as she shook her head.

"I'm sorry… I can't."

She left him standing in the hallway as she made her way back to the guest room and shut the door behind her, sliding down the closed door as she heard his heavy footsteps approach before they quietly moved further down the hallway and she heard his door open and close and she desperately wished for him to come back.

 **DRACO**  
 **Past**

He stared down in disgust at the Daily Prophet sitting beside his half empty cup of tea, the headline boldly proclaiming "Auror Weasley confirms Mysterious House Elf Murderer Dead" as a picture of Blaise moved underneath. He had watched the picture for what felt like hours, it was an old one, taken years previous and he was pretty sure it was some wizard reporter's attempt at catching himself off guard who just happened to catch the photo of his best friend.

He felt sick.

"I don't care what he's doing, put him on now." Hermione ground out and Draco looked up to see her gesturing wildly with one hand while the other held her "fone" to her head. She had explained that it was a muggle contraption that made it easier to stay in touch as she pushed something or other and then held the thing to her head. "Ronald, since when does your secretary answer your mobile?... No, it's fine but... No, listen, I don't care." Draco smirked at her back as she snapped into the bloody thing, her voice reverberating around the room. "Please tell me you didn't go to the Daily with the story… Ronald, you can't possibly know that."

Draco swallowed hard, turning to look out the window of his bedroom, the sky was beginning to darken and it looked as dark and foreboding as he felt.

"No, you listen to me Ronald Weasley… Ron… Ron?"

She swore loudly and Draco turned to her, a half smirk playing on his lips at her outburst and she rolled her eyes.

"Well, what did he say?" Draco asked.

She straightened her shoulders, looking him square in the face, "He said it's an open and shut case and there was no reason to continue causing a panic. Draco, he said they found his fingerprints on the knife that killed his elf."

Draco clenched his jaw so hard he felt it pop, "He wouldn't-"

"Yes, but-"

"No," it was his turn to snap, "You don't understand. Blaise's mum was never around and when she was she always had a new man. Blaise was alone and that elf, she raised him. He wouldn't harm her and whether you want to believe it or not, I _don't._ "

"Draco-" she started quietly but he shook his head, heaving himself up from his bed and crossing the room, throwing open the doors to his armoire and yanking out a clean pair of robes.

"Not everyone is my _father_ Hermione, not everyone wants to hurt other people or their _help_ , and Blaise, he was a slytherin but he is a- he _was_ a good man." His heart clenched a little at his slip up and he ignored it as he reached down to unbutton his pyjama top, grimacing at the pain that it brought.

"You're right," she was suddenly there, right before him and she reached out to push his hands away gently. "Blaise wasn't your father and neither are you. If you say that Blaise didn't do this, I believe you. We'll get to the bottom of it."

He nodded, his breath hitched a little as she finished undoing the buttons on his shirt and finally looked up at him, her dark brown eyes meeting his, "Thank you."

His words seemed to break the trance and she pulled away from him, turning back to where she had left her mobile on his bed and picked it up as he continued dressing in his robes, the need to do _something_ nearly suffocating.

"Harry…" Hermione said and Draco paused, turning to note the small smile on her face, the pinched look from her previous phone conversation gone, and he tried to tamp down the feeling that it seemed to stir up within him. Unwilling to think about it. To acknowledge it. "Yes, we read it… Do you believe it?... No, no I guess not… Right, well, if you could pull out your chosen one title for a little bit, I may need it. No, nothing like that I'm just… going to go to Blaise's and check it out… Right, wouldn't dream of it."

She ended the conversation on a laugh and Draco was there, pulling on his robe as he picked up his wand from where he had left it on his beside table.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she met his gaze.

"Going with you," he answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world and really, it was because even if he could, he wouldn't leave her to do it alone and he had a feeling she felt the same.

 **HERMIONE**  
 **Present**

She had known, as soon as she saw his face fall, that she should have told him of her returning memories. She should have, but she didn't and she didn't want to think about the reason why. She _couldn't_.

Sighing she gave up on the book she had been reading and slipped out of bed with it, grabbing her wand out of her pocket and casting a light as she left her room. Her thoughts were to go to the library to return the book but instead she found herself walking towards the children's rooms. She stopped by Leo's first, smiling as she saw him cuddled up in his bed with his beloved blanket tucked under his chin. In his sleep he looked so much like a darker haired version of his father and Hermione leaned upon the door frame for a moment, smiling as she looked at her sleeping son.

Before long, she heard a noise, coming from the room across the hall and down a door and she moved towards the open door to Lyra's room to see Draco sitting in the rocking chair, Lyra nestled on his lap with her head tucked under his chin as they rocked together, the only light coming from the soft glow of the stars twinkling on the ceiling.

She stood silently, half hidden behind the door frame as she watched her husband rock their daughter and it was only after a moment that she realized he was singing to her; the words leaving his mouth brought tears to her eyes as she remembered the same words coming from her mother's mouth when she was a child and had woken up from a bad dream. He looked up suddenly and met her gaze, unspoken words passing between them before he stood up, carefully, and settled Lyra against him. He gently kissed the mop of messy white blonde curls upon her head and lowered her down into the cot before he backed out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

They stared at each other, in the light from her wand in the middle of the hallway before she finally broke the silence, "That song-"

"You sing it to her. Have since she was born, Leo too. When she wakes up at night it calms her down, gets her to go back to sleep."

She nodded, chewing on her lip as he shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked on his heels.

"About earlier-"

"I'm sorry-"

They both spoke at the same time and Draco nodded, allowing her to go first, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the memories…"

She didn't elaborate and he didn't question it.

"You're right though." He said with a shrug, "I would have gotten angry. I did. I.. you deserve answers. I know that as much as you but I'm… I'm scared. I'm afraid that if I give you too much-"

He trailed off, his eyes on the floor between them and she felt her heart clench and ache at the same time, the urge to put herself in his arms nearly unbearable and she wished, for just a moment that her old self, the one she couldn't remember, would make an appearance, if only to comfort the man before her.

But she didn't and instead, Hermione reached out, grasping his fingers in hers and giving them a light squeeze.

"I'm not asking for everything. We can… start small?"

Her words gained his attention then, his gaze meeting hers and for a second she forgot how to breathe before he finally nodded, "Okay."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," he smirked and she felt herself smile in return as he continued, "Meet me in the library in ten?"

She agreed, letting go of his hand to go back to her room to return her book, and she couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, there was hope for them yet.

 **A/N: I won't call anyone out because I'm an adult but to person who sent me the private message asking me to just hurry up already because it's too slow, I'm sorry but I'm trying to make this as realistic as I can despite it being, well, fantasy. I love each and every one of your reviews and pm's and I honestly do take them all to heart and I LOVE hearing your theories. (one or two of you have actually tiptoed around the bigger picture.) However, I know you're impatient to figure it all out but I won't half ass it just to get it over with and Hermione isn't going to immediately jump into Draco's arms. Moving into the manor was a huge step. Please remember, everyone else has had years and years to come to terms with "Dramione" in this story whereas Hermione only remembers up to the end of the battle. Hope you all can understand and please, review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **A/N: I have no excuse for the wait. I'm sorry guys! I hope you're still with me! Let me know if you are!**

 **Chapter 15**

 **DRACO**  
 **Past**

Hermione insisted on taking a torch and he was only a little intrigued by the idea of a light that didn't come from his wand as she handed him the oddly shaped and slightly heavy thing.

"There may be traces on the property," she explained, "I just don't want to have to explain to a team of aurors what we're doing."

And she didn't need to explain that she didn't want to deal with one specific auror as he stepped forward and grabbed her hand in his, interlacing their fingers as he apparated them directly outside of Blaise's sprawling estate.

She quickly got to work, pulling a pin out of her pocket as she worked on the gate and Draco held the light up as he watched her work until the heavy metal bars clanged open and they both slid inside.

Whomever had worked the case must have forgotten the fact that muggles didn't need magic to enter residences because the door was unlocked when they arrived and Hermione rolled her eyes as she opened it and stepped through, muttering about sloppy work and 'morons' before stopping dead in her tracks.

Draco half expected to see Blaise's body lying on the floor still as he barely caught himself from running into the witch's back and he cautiously peered around the woman for that reason before he realized what had stopped her.

The room they had walked in on was a complete disaster, the entry way table was overturned, a house plant laying there, its vase broken around the roots. And from what he could see of the sitting room, it didn't look much better.

"Draco-" Hermione warned as he moved past her, stepping over the place he knew Blaise's body had been found as he walked up the staircase without hesitation.

The house was quiet around them, the sound of their footsteps echoing around them as they walked, Hermione following behind him in silence. They reached Blaise's office and Draco closed his eyes for a moment, his hand resting on the knob as he willed away the grief that seemed to be rearing, before he swung open the door.

This room too was in much the same state as the rest of the house and they had to step over the papers that littered the floor as Draco walked behind the desk.

"It looks like someone was looking for something," Hermione supplied and Draco nodded as he looked at the destroyed mahogany bureau. "I wonder if they found it…"

Draco was silent as he turned and perused the books on the shelves behind him until he found the one he wanted and slowly pulled it out to reveal the small, hidden door behind it protected by muggle technology. If there was one thing Draco appreciated about Blaise it was his dependability and he smiled to himself as he turned the code until it opened, thankful that it hadn't changed in the years that he had known the man.

He pulled out the small box, meeting Hermione's questioning gaze, "Slytherin's trust people about as far as they can throw them," he explained as he set the box down and he noticed her jaw tighten slightly-although she remained silent- and he made a note to ask her about it later as he set to go through the papers before him.

He smirked as he went through the random rubbish among which included a Quidditch ticket from years before, something called a 'cinema ticket', and a few hastily scribbled witches names. It was the last one that stuck out to him as he leafed through the spare bits of parchment and droobles wrappers that his friend had collected over time but then there was one, written on a napkin from the pub and his finger hovered over the messy wording written there in Blaise's signature scrawl:

 _Olive Rumpett  
Draco_

It was nothing. It could have meant anything, but if there was one thing that Draco knew of his friend it was that Blaise rarely did anything by accident. Even in Hogwarts, a man who had no desire or aspiration to become a death eater had befriended the son of one. Blaise had kept to himself, and though he had talked about blood purity just as Draco had, it was never the same with him; never vehement or vengeful. It wasn't until much later that Draco had learned his friend had never really fallen in line with those beliefs. Not really.

He was a slytherin however, and he knew where to align his allegiances. Which was how he and Draco had grown close in school; after Hogwarts, the man had been the only friend of Draco's to stick around. To care.

Draco cleared his throat as he pulled the napkin out and shoved it into his pocket just as they heard something clatter to the floor from somewhere else in the house.

They were alert then and Draco pulled his wand from his pocket, ignoring Hermione's protest and stepping forward to block her.

"Draco, I don't need you to protect me," she hissed as he held out his arm to keep her back, his wand arm held aloft.

He rolled his eyes, "I'm not daft. I can still feel the stinger you gave me in third year," he stopped, practically hearing the grin on her face at that, before he continued, "but I grew up in this house, helped Blaise remodel it even, so if you'll kindly _shut up_ and follow me?"

She hesitated for only a second before she finally nodded and he counted it a small victory as they walked towards where the noise had sounded from, his wand at the ready and he was sure he could feel Hermione's hand grasping his robe in her fist as he walked in front of her, leading her through the dark just as they heard another sound, coming to the room from their left.

He paused, turning to hold a finger up to his lips and Hermione nodded and reached into her own pocket for her wand before she nodded at him when she had it in her hand and at the ready as he quickly opened the door.

 **HERMIONE  
** **Present**

He was already sitting when she arrived to the library and she moved carefully to sit down next to him on the sofa before the fire.

"I made cocoa," he said quietly and she smiled because it was a thoughtful thing to do while she was debating on whether she should come back or not.

"Thank you." She said finally, reaching out to take the cup into her hand and taking a long drink of the warm liquid. It was exactly how she liked it and sighed a little in contentment before she looked up to find Draco staring at her. "Sorry,"

He shook his head, "I've told you before don't-"

"Apologize, I know…"

They were quiet then, the sound of the fire crackling in the room before he finally reached over and pulled the book into his lap.

"You said to start small…" he explained, running his finger over the dark leather of the book in his hand and he handed it to her then, her hand meeting his as she took it from him gently and pried open the book.

"These are the children's?" She breathed, looking at her writing and the pictures carefully placed into the pages of the book. "Why is this a muggle picture?"

Draco smirked then and leaned over to look at the photo in her hand, of her in a bed with Leo on her chest and Draco smiling down at the pair of them in pure adoration.

"Because we were out in Muggle London. You were past due and you demanded that we take you to the theater. Harry and I were against it but Ginny convinced us. Halfway through the play you started having a back ache but you didn't say anything. It wasn't until the show was almost over and you were cursing my name that we figured it out. We were worried you wouldn't make it to St. Mungos and… we were right. He was born a few minutes after we arrived at St. Thomas'. You demanded a pain killing spell and Harry performed one, had to obliviate the nurses…"

He looked away then and before she could think about it she reached out, grabbing his hand and turning back to the book.

It was filled with pictures of Leo and her and Draco and all three of them together and each one had a story. A story Draco tried his best to tell her, without giving too much away. She realized, as they started in on Lyra's baby book that he only spoke of the children and never of them. No, never of them.

There were a few times that he stopped, words dying on his tongue and she pressed forward, desperate for the knowledge despite her curiosity because she knew that one day, they would get there. They had to.

Because she wasn't sure she would ever come back but she _was_ sure that Draco wasn't going anywhere. Not yet.

She only hoped she was worth waiting for.

 **DRACO  
** **Past**

"Pip?" he asked as they opened the door to come face to face with the shaky little house elf holding a chair leg in one hand.

"Oh, Master Draco!" she squeaked as she dropped the chair leg and flung herself at the man, hugging round his legs tightly, "Pip is sorry."

"What are you doing here? I thought they cleared the place…" the last he directed at Hermione who stood looking perplexed by the door and he sighed as he sank down to his knees. "Pip, this is my friend Hermione Granger."

The young elf nodded, sniffling loudly, "Pip knows of Miss Granger sir, she talks of sending pip and mum away-"

"Oh no," he said, realization hitting him. Because he had known the elf that had died along with Blaise.

"Draco?" Hermione asked and it was only then that he realized the small elf had backed up and sat down, crying obnoxiously into her hands.

"The elf today… that was pip's mum." Draco explained lowly and he saw Hermione's face fall as he focused his attention back on the elf. "Pip, I'm sorry to hear of your mum, she was... a good elf."

The house elf seemed to calm slightly at that and pulled her hands away from her face to look up at him, "Thank you sir, Master Draco is most kind."

Draco shifted uncomfortably at that, trying not to feel Hermione's eyes on him as he coaxed the little elf along.

"What are you doing here still Pip?" he asked quietly, trying not to frighten her any more, if only to keep her talking.

"Pip was frightened. Pip thought she would have to leave with him if he saw her so Pip ran to hide…"

"Ron wouldn't have made you leave-" Hermione started but Draco narrowed his eyes, holding up a hand to stop her.

"Who would have made you leave Pip?" Draco asked, ignoring the witch's stern scowl from behind him.

The little elf squeaked, taking her tea towel into her hands and wringing it between her long fingers, her shoulders slumping and her eyes misting. "The one who took the others sir."

Draco heard the sharp intake of breath from behind him but he chose to ignore it as he pressed on.

"Who was it Pip? Who did this?"

Pip shook her head, her ears moving fiercely with the movement, "Pip doesn't know sir! Pip only knows he comes at night. Demanding things that elves cannot give him. Terrible things-"

"What did he demand Pip?"

The elf was hysterical then, her shoulders shaking and her knees quaking with the effort of staying upright as she bellowed, "He wanted us to take our masters lives. For vengeance."

Draco grimaced, ignoring the heavy beating of his heart, "What did he look like Pip? Did Blaise know him?"

The elf shook her head again, hiccupping, "No sir. Pip only knows that he hid his face with a- cloak. Pip hid like she was told. Pip was a good elf. Mum was-was a good elf, she refused to disobey. Refused to-to harm Master and then-"

"Then what?" he pressed, knowing it was a long shot as the elf dissolved into hysterics once more and he turned a sour expression on Hermione who looked pale as she leaned against the wall behind her. He stood up, moving to stand beside her, bending his knees slightly to look into her eyes, asking silently if she was alright. At her nod, he finally asked, "What do we do Granger?"

"I- I don't know," she stammered, and he could practically see the wheels turning in her mind. The pieces lining up as she tried to figure out the answers. He knew because he was doing it too.

Something didn't add up however, one crucial piece of the puzzle missing.

He ran his hand through his hair once before he turned back to the elf, going once more to kneel down beside her. "Pip, no one is going to hurt you. I'll make sure of that but we- we need your help. Do you think you can do that?"

The elf sniffled but nodded, looking up to him with watery eyes and he smiled as he took his wand out of his pocket and conjured a flask. With a nod he looked to Hermione who stepped forward to continue as he stood back, watching the witch work her magic- both literally and figuratively.

 **A/N: I really am sorry for the wait. More answers for you? I hope.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

 **A/n: This is a really short chapter for you all. I'm so sorry it's been such a long wait! Hopefully we'll get to moving quicker here!**

 **Chapter 16**

Hermione  
Present

They fell into a sort of routine together. After the children had been put to bed and their work was completed she would find herself in the library with him, cocoa steaming before them as he shared her memories with her. It was strange at first, looking at photographs of herself of which she had no recollection. Soon, it became second nature. She found herself guessing at the story behind the photos before Draco could tell her.

She made the mistake of voicing that to him once and he spent the entire time making her guess before he would reveal the truth. Trying to spark something.

It never did.

She resigned herself to the secondhand memories.

Two weeks went by in their fragile little world and she was comfortable. Happy even.

Ronald hadn't been by to see her since and though Harry assured her that he was fine, just out on assignment, she could see the tightness behind his eyes. She didn't press.

It wasn't until the fifteenth day that things changed.

Narcissa had left the manor to visit her sister and though she would never admit it, Hermione had been counting the hours down until Draco's return. Dinner had come and passed however, and he still hadn't returned. Hermione continued on, reading several bed time stories and tucking Leo in three times before it was to his liking before she finally was able to slip away. She quickly found herself in her pyjamas in front of the fireplace in the library, her book sitting untouched on her lap as she watched the flames lick lazily at the logs and listened to the clock quietly tick from the corner of the room.

Minutes passed all too quickly and she found herself standing near the window on the far wall of the library as the skies opened up and rain began to hammer against the pane. Soon the quiet of the room was broken by the sound of the storm outside and she turned to look at the clock once more before she finally slipped away from the window and out of the library.

Her feet carried her numbly down the darkened halls of her home and it wasn't until she arrived at the heavy wooden doors of Draco's office that she realized where she had gone. She reached out to tentatively knock, hoping he would answer her and finding herself disappointed when he didn't.

She knew that his floo, however, was connected to the network however, and she breathed deeply only once before she pushed the door open and slipped inside.

She had been inside the room before, even after she had lost her memories, but seeing the dark wood of her husband's study in the dark of night seemed to stir something in her and of their own accord her feet carried her past the hearth to the bookshelves that lined the walls.

Her finger lazily trailed over the spines, reading the names of the books that sat there and she smiled to herself as she saw the cover of a familiar tome.

The weathered and worn copy of _The Tales of Beetle the Bard_ slipped easily into her hands and she knew, as soon as her fingertips had graced the front cover that it was the very same copy that had been given to her so long ago and she steadied herself against the flood of memories she _did_ have that seemed to be so fresh in her mind, despite the passing time, as she opened the front cover and began to read.

 _She groaned as she set the book down once more and looked back up to the clock. Hours had passed, painfully, as her heart hammered in her chest and her head ached continuously._

 _Her eyes darted to the floo, begging for it to roar to life, only to come up disappointed as it remained cold and still._

 _The book hadn't held her interest in some time and so she got up, leaving it behind, as she paced the floor and worried her thumbnail and tried to keep herself from stepping in the floo herself as the ticking of the clock drove her near insanity._

 _Just as she thought she couldn't stand it one moment longer, he appeared._

 _"_ _Harry," she breathed, "Are you-"_

 _The man looked down, to the blood on his shirt and shook his head, "It's not mine…"_

 _Her heart thundered in her ears as her stomach sank, "Please, not-"_

 _"_ _Hermione-" Draco's voice was like pumpkin juice to a parched throat and she tore across the room at his entrance, ignoring the state of his clothes as she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly._

 _She was vaguely aware of his arms holding her to him just as tight before she finally pulled back and looked up at the man before her. His eyes were drawn, with dark gray circles underneath and his hair looked like it was plastered to his forehead. She had never thought he looked beautiful before that moment but just then she had never seen a more welcome sight._

 _It was short lived however as she reached out and smacked his chest._

 _"_ _You complete arsehole!" she shouted and she reached out again, smacking his chest once more, ignoring the pain in her palms. "I thought you were dead!"_

 _"_ _Hermione-" he said quietly but she wasn't listening as she pushed him once more, ignoring the hot prick of tears._

 _"_ _How dare you do something so_ _ **reckless**_ _and- and bloody_ _ **stupid**_ _," she shouted._

 _"_ _Hermione-"_

 _"_ _You could have died Draco! You could have- you might have-"she huffed as she turned, pointing at Harry, "and you_ _ **let him!**_ _"_

 _Harry held his hands up in surrender, taking three giant steps back as she advanced until his back hit the wall behind him._

 _"_ _ **Hermione-"**_ _Draco's hand gripped her arm, pulling her back against him and she twisted away from him, meeting his gaze once more, "We did it."_

"Hermione?" she blinked as her gaze shifted and she settled back into herself as she came face to face with Draco.

His hair was plastered to his head, his robes completely soaked through and she didn't care for one second as she flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and she felt him slowly, carefully, pull her closer; his arms holding her just as tightly.

DRACO  
Past

Draco leaned his head on his hands, rubbing his temples.

Nothing made sense.

Everything was wrong.

"No, no, no." Hermione said again, her lips pursed and her brow creased,"He wouldn't."

Draco fumed, his teeth clenching together so hard he thought they might break off," You don't _know_ that."

She turned on him; her cheeks pinked and shook her head, her loose curls falling in her eyes. His mum had brought them tea when they had returned and Hermione had set to work on McGonagall and in no time at all had floo'd back to the manor with the large stone basin in tow and time off of work.

They had spent the better part of the night in the memories they had procured from the elf. Draco shuddered as he thought about watching his best friend die over and over. He didn't know which was currently in more pain, his head or his heart.

The memories had been clear for an elf- Hermione hadn't even been sure they would work the same, a fact she restated no less than seven times before he had finally just plunged headfirst into the basin before she could stop him.

It was the same; though the bruise on his arm would remind him that it might _not_ have worked just in case the witch forgot to jog his memory about it.

He had arrived in the Zabini estate, right behind the elf as she followed her mother. The pair then left the room into the foyer where the hooded figure stood waiting. Pip, unseen, secreted behind a nearby table and Hermione and Draco had found themselves standing behind memory Pip as she huddled, hidden as the figure approached her mother.

The elf hadn't backed down as the figure tried to persuade her to turn on her master. She had stood tall and proud, for an elf, until the figure had finally stepped forward and drove the knife into the small body. Draco's eyes had found Pip then, eyes widened in horror as she covered her mouth and his jaw had clenched so tightly his teeth had cracked. If he hadn't wanted to find this person before, there was no doubt he did now.

It wasn't over though, the memory, and Draco had watched in abject horror as the front door had opened behind the figure and Blaise had walked in, unaware of the scene he was walking into. The cloaked figure had wheeled around, wand held aloft and had struck down his best friend and Draco hadn't breathed as Blaise's body had hit the floor.

He felt Hermione's hand in his then and he looked away to meet her deep brown eyes, full of hurt and anger and sympathy and for once, he didn't mind it.

She had stopped then, giving his hand a squeeze and he expected her to pull him from the memory but instead she stood, staring slack jawed at the cloaked figure.

"That watch-" she said, her voice barely above a whisper and Draco followed her line of sight to the watch on the man's wrist, barely covered by the robes the person wore, "I know that watch."

He turned then, grabbing her upper arms and forcing her to look at him, "How?"

"I- I gave it to Ron," she stammered, her eyes drifting back to the cloaked figure and he didn't wait a moment longer before he pulled them both out of the memory and back into his study.

 **A/N: :O**  
 **Review!**

 **;)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

 **A/N: Another kind of short chapter for you all but it was a great stopping point _and_ the next chapter is almost done. I'm shamelessly going to say when this chapter gets 15 reviews I'll post it. ;) I'm an expert at two things, bribery and cliff hangers. ha. **

**Chapter 17**

HERMIONE  
present

Their lips were moving in sync before she had even realized she was kissing him, her fingers knotted in the wet strands of hair that hung down the nape of his neck, dripping down the pebbled skin there. His own hands were splayed across her back, underneath her shirt, and she could feel the heat from his dewy palms that seemed to be anchoring her.

He breathed her name against her lips and she deepened the kiss at that, her tongue pushing past his plump bottom lip until she could taste him and then she didn't think anymore as she twisted so that she was sitting on the edge of his desk, her legs wrapping around his hips and drawing him in and closer until she could feel his want for her against her own heated center. Her fingers, fumbling only slightly, made quick work of the buttons on his shirt, her hands working the material down his toned arms until it fluttered to the floor behind him. He pulled back then and she let go of him only long enough to pull her now damp shirt over her head.

Draco stared at her for a moment, his gaze appreciative, before she reached out, pulling him in once more and it was as though her body was remembering what her mind couldn't as they moved in perfect accord. Her hips moved to meet his, aching for the friction they would provide as her belly flamed with desire. His mouth moved to her neck and she blushed as a moan escaped her as she felt his tongue lap at the hollow of her throat. Her palms ran down the smooth planes of his stomach, the toned and defined muscles that rested there gleaming in the light that was emanating from somewhere in the room and she tightened her legs tighter still around him, her mind a muddled mess.

Finally, her fingers found the button of his trousers and she reached out, deftly unbuttoning it as though she had been doing it her entire life, her hands moving along the top hem of his pants, feeling the dip of his pelvis as she began to push the fabric down his hips and suddenly, he stopped.

"Hermione-" he started, pulling his self away from her grasp only just and moving to rest his forehead against hers, "We… can't. As much as I want that- want you, I don't want it like this…"

She sucked her bottom lip in, nodding mutely as she thought about melting into the desk and she wondered if her magic was stable enough to perform an obliviate on herself as she felt the blush rush up her cheeks and, despite her best efforts, the hot prick of tears against her lashes.

"Hey," his voice was soft as he reached out, his finger tipping her chin back so that her eyes met his. "I want this. I want you. I will always want you just not like this… Not again."

She nodded at first, though her embarrassment was only partially deflected as his words began to settle over her and something clicked, "What do you mean again?"

He chuckled then, shaking his head, "That is _definitely_ a story for another day. Come on, we'll make some tea."

* * *

"Jamie's birthday is this weekend," Harry started as they walked, his cup balanced on a stack of parchment that looked like it had been charmed at least a dozen times over to stay upright. "He wants to have it at the burrow because, well Molly likes to go overboard but he also wanted Leo and you to come and well…"

"Of course I'll come," she said as they rounded the corner towards her office and she saw Sadie talking to someone at her desk.

"Well, that's the thing, Ron is staying at the burrow right now and-"

"Harry, it's fine," she promised the man, "I wouldn't miss Jamie's birthday."

Harry smiled at her, that same warm grin she had always loved and nodded, "You know, Draco gave him the nickname. You hated it forever because you couldn't stand nicknames but one day you were there and-"

"Draco was helping and I told him I was pregnant…"

Harry's eyes widened at the same time as Hermione's, "do you-"

"No," she sighed, "it comes and goes. Little things. Not enough to piece together but sometimes when I'm least expecting it-"

Harry nodded as they finally reached Hermione's office, "You know, your mom's birthday is coming up too…"

Hermione looked down, studying the file in her hand as she tried to ignore the flood of guilt that creeped up within her and the urge to cry nearly overwhelmed her. She hadn't been back to St. Mungo's since she had left months earlier and though she wished she could say she did, she wasn't sure she wanted to return.

"I know-" she finally said quietly and she felt Harry's hand reach out, grasping hers and she laughed lightly as the papers swayed in his other arm.

"You're not alone 'Mione."

She reached up, planting a kiss on her best friend's cheek before finally letting him get on with his day as she tucked herself behind her desk to start in on her own. She had finally got a system down, her muscle memory kicking in more often than not as she worked on the cases that crossed her desk and though she was sure her work wasn't up to the quality it had been previously at least she was no longer drowning in it. It wasn't until later as she sucked on the end of a quill, her brow furrowed as she read the file in her hand that she heard a throat clear.

"Oh, Draco!" she said as she looked up to meet him, "What's wrong, is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine," her husband laughed, holding up a bag with one finger, "I just thought I would bring you some lunch."

"Oh, I just ate at-" her eyes trailed to the clock and she gulped as she realized that she had already been at work for six hours.

"You have a tendency-" Draco started as he strode into the room and set the bag down, "To forget things. Like where you put the post or eating lunch or-"

"Checking the clock."

"That too," he laughed as he pushed a takeout container in front of her and she picked it up, inhaling the sweet and spicy scent of thai food as her stomach gave a mighty rumble and a memory assaulted her.

"Is this Patara?"

"It is, you're favorite."

"We ate there, a lot."

"When you were pregnant with Lyra, yes," he laughed. "I thought she might come out eating curry."

Hermione smiled warmly as she sat down behind her desk and Draco took up the other chair, pulling silverware form the depths of the takeout bag. They talked as they ate, Draco telling her about a merger he was working on and how his mother had insisted he get out of the house for the afternoon though he was sure that it had more to do with his aunt Andromeda coming over than anything else.

"What are you doing after this?" she asked around a bite of pad thai.

"I told George I would swing by the shop today he had something he wanted me to look at," Hermione shot him a look and he smirked as he amended, "business wise. I learned my lesson long ago."

"Oh no, do I even want to know?" she laughed and Draco shook his head as he closed up his takeout container.

"Probably not, old wounds and such."

"Excuse me?" Hermione and Draco both paused mid laugh to see Sadie standing in the doorway, biting her lip, "I'm so sorry to interrupt but the minister asked to see you Mrs. Mal- Miss Granger."

Hermione saw the look that flashed across Draco's face at her secretaries address and she sighed as she nodded, "Thank you Sadie, I'm just finishing up here and then I'll head up to see him. Also, I was wondering if you could look over the Blishen file for me?"

"Of course," Sadie said eagerly, stepping in to the room and accepting the proffered file from her boss. "I'll get right on it. Thank you Miss Granger and it was wonderful to see you again Mr. Malfoy."

Hermione bit back a smile as she watched her secretary slink away, her face red and her hands shaking.

"Bless her," Hermione smiled as she turned to her husband, "I think she has a crush on nearly every man in the wizarding world. I've yet to see how she reacts to Harry."

Draco chuckled but the smile on his face didn't quite reach his eyes and Hermione felt a tug of something in her gut as they both stood and he grabbed his cloak from the nearby hook and opened her office door.

Out of instinct she pulled herself up on her tiptoes, her hand caressing the side of his face as she pulled his lips down to hers.

 **DRACO**  
 **PAST**

Hermione was a woman on fire as they marched through the doors of the ministry. It had taken everything he had to get her to wait until the ministry opened for the day and now he wasn't so sure of his decision. There were a lot of witnesses milling around and the weight of his wand in his pocket was beginning to make him nervous. Despite his status as a _reformed_ death eater, he was fairly certain that those around him would not take kindly to him pulling his wand on Hermione Granger- war hero. No matter how angry she might have looked.

Instead he quickened his steps and fell in line beside her, his elbow touching hers as they moved through the atrium and Hermione flashed the guard a glare as he stopped them to check their wands and he _almost_ asked the man to keep hers before she was off again, her wand gripped tightly in her hand and Draco hurried along after her once his own wand had been returned, nearly galloping to catch up.

"Hermione-" he started as she jammed her thumb on the button for the lift, watching the numbers above it light up. "Maybe you should-"

"No," she growled, "I'm getting to the bottom of this Draco, once and for all."

Her tone left no room for arguments and despite his upbringing if there was one thing Draco had learned in living with his mother it was that it was best not to argue with an angry woman. So instead he stood beside her, watching those around them throw them wary glances as they passed by and he tried not to shift on his feet too much as they waited for the lift and stepped inside together once it had arrived.

The ride was quiet and Draco eyed the witch beside him, feeling the angry spark of magic radiating from her in waves as they descended into the bowels of the ministry. He knew, as he watched her gnaw on her bottom lip with her arms crossed rigidly before her that there was no turning back. Not now, not ever.

Bugger it all, he was in love with Hermione Granger.

 **A/N: See? Level: Expert. Also, just for kicks, where are all my readers from? You don't have to be specific just seeing some fun countries on my log and would love to know!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any other recognizable work.**

 **A/N: I am so sorry for the wait. I have no excuse but here it is. I would really love to hear your thoughts with this.**

 **CHAPTER 18**

 **DRACO**  
 **PAST**

The wide, heavy doors swung open at their approach and Hermione didn't hesitate as she strode through them. There were aurors dotting the large room and Draco saw a few of them tense up as they caught sight of him , some even going so far as to set down their work or their cups of tea and not so subtly palm their wands. He told himself it didn't matter however as he continued on behind Hermione, ignoring their wary glances.

He was glad she seemed to know where she was going as she wove through the line of desks and it was only as they approached the office at the rear of the auror department that he realized she was heading towards Potter's office. He considered turning around in that moment but as if reading his thoughts she reached out for him, gripping his hand as they approached the door.

She said nothing as she opened the door and pulled them both through. Draco felt a cold burst of air that sent the hairs on the back of his neck standing straight up before it was gone as quick as it passed.

"Hermione?" Harry asked as he saw their entrance, "Malfoy."

Draco rolled his eyes at the man's paltry acknowledgement of him.

"I need you to call Ron in here," Hermione demanded, leaving no room for questions, "And Robards as well."

Potter's brow furrowed and he looked between Hermione and Draco before he finally nodded, "Okay. Give me just a moment."

Hermione nodded curtly, her fingers twisting a stray string on her sweater and absently Draco reached out, grasping her fingers in his own to still them.

"You're going to ruin that ratty old thing," he muttered, "Actually, go ahead maybe then you'll stop wearing it."

Hermione swallowed, her face grim as she looked up at him with her deep brown eyes, "It was my father's."

Draco bit the inside of his cheek, his eyes moving anywhere else but at the witch before him as the weight of guilt settled over him and the door behind them opened.

"What's up Har- Malfoy? What are you doing here?" Weasley's voice was full of disdain and Draco wasn't surprised to see him fumbling for his wand.

"He's here because I _asked_ him to be here," Hermione snapped, her voice tight and she stepped away from Weasley and closer to Draco, ignoring the smug smirk on the latter's face at the movement.

"Yes Potter?" The fifth, and last, addition to their party Gawain Robards entered the room and Draco was pleased to find the man barely acknowledged his presence as he addressed The Boy who Lived.

"Hermione?"

Hermione paused for a moment and Draco wasn't even sure she was breathing before she finally nodded once and then looked across to the weasel.

"Sir, I'm here to present evidence that the murders of the eight house elf victims was not, in fact, done by Blaise Zabini-"

Weasley groaned, "Hermione-"

"But instead by one Ronald Weasley,"

"What?" several voices asked at once and Draco watched as the color drained from the red haired man's face.

"Hermione, what are you talking about? I wouldn't-"

"Hermione, you can't be serious." Harry started

"Miss Granger, that is a very serious accusation-" Robards spoke, his tone tight.

"It is." Granger said, her voice louder and clearer than it had been all day as she straightened her shoulders back. "I have proof, however that the elves in question were being compelled to commit heinous crimes against those they call their masters and when they declined they were murdered in cold blood. I have brought the memories showing just that."

Hermione reached into her robes, procuring the substance which she handed to Harry and pointed to the cabinet in which she knew he kept his pensieve. She watched as he moved to pour the memories in and then, without waiting, dived headlong into them.

"But that still doesn't prove that Mr. Weasley had a hand in this, Miss Granger and frankly I'm surprised you would say such a thing considering your relationship." Robards said once Harry had delved into the memories.

"Ronald?" Hermione asked, meeting the redhead's shocked gaze, "Your wrist?"

"What?" he asked stupidly and Hermione instead crossed the room, pulling up his hand and pushing back his sleeve to reveal the watch that was nestled there.

"As you will see, this watch was also on the arm of the man committing the murders in the memory I have given you. A watch I gave to Mister Weasley December twenty-fourth last year a fact Harry Potter can attest to."

"Hermione-" Ron spoke again, his voice breaking, "You can't believe this. I would _never_ do this. Please…"

"She's right." Harry said his voice solemn as he returned to the present, his face grim as he stepped forward and pulled Weasley's wand from his grasp. "I'm sorry Ron; I have to take you in."

Draco watched as Harry used his wand to restrain the man and Robards stood looking somewhat confused but all he could see was the look on Hermione's face.

The look of betrayal and pain.

He watched as she reached down and slid the ring from her finger, setting it next to the wand Harry had confiscated from the wizard in question, before she quickly left the room.

 **HERMIONE**  
 **PRESENT**

"You wanted to see me sir?" she asked as she entered the minister's office and Kingsley looked up, smiling at her broadly.

"Hello Hermione, it's wonderful to see you looking like your old self," the man said kindly, "please, take a seat."

"Thank you sir," she said as she sat herself down in the plush chair across from his desk. Such a stark difference from the ministers of magic she actually remembered.

"I wanted to talk to you about the upcoming fundraising gala for St. Mungos. I know you were set to give a speech on the introduction of the magical beings department you helped develop but if it's too much for you.."

"Oh, er…" she started, reaching up to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. "I don't really know Minister-"

"Please, it's Kingsley," the man chuckled, the deep sound reverberating through the small space.

"Right," she nodded, "I don't think, I mean I don't know much about the department. Maybe someone else would be better for the job? I mean, that is if there is anyone else…"

Kingsley smiled once more, "Actually, I do believe the next person in line would be your husband."

"Draco?" she asked, surprise coloring her tone.

"Yes, he is quite the business man. He was able to fully finance the project with donations from private parties. It was important to him after the house elf eradication and who were we to stop him?"

Hermione smiled as she thought of the man she knew now versus the boy she had known in school. She was sure that the boy she had known would have never thought twice about house elves or any other magical beings for that matter. She felt a warm smile play on her lips as she thought of Draco.

"I think it would be wonderful for him to do the speech sir," she finally said and Kingsley nodded once in affirmation before he asked her how the children were and the two fell into easy conversation until finally, Hermione left his office.

Suddenly, she didn't much feel like being at work anymore. With a quick word to Sadie she headed out, her coat tossed over her arm as she used the floo and headed to Diagon alley, hoping to catch him before he left.

 **DRACO  
** **Past**

Draco had no idea how he had been let into the small room that adjoined the interrogation room but he assumed it had something to do with the bushy haired witch who had yet to return. Now he stood, shoulder to shoulder, with a group of the weasel's peers. He wondered briefly if this was what it was like when he had been dragged into this very same room after the war. When he had faced his actions had this many people crowded into the small room? Had they even cared.

He doubted it.

He stood in the dark corner, watching Weasley from above the heads of his coworkers. There were murmurs and mutterings but for the most part, no one paid him any attention. In fact, as soon as the door to the interrogation room opened, he became invisible as an auror that Draco didn't know walked in. He wondered, briefly, where Potter was but before he could so much as move to look the door to his room opened and they walked in. Hermione's hand was nestled in Potter's and Draco felt a strange urge to curse the man before he quickly batted it away and focused, instead, on the questioning happening before him.

"Is this your watch?" the man asked, his voice near monotone.

"Yes but-"

"And did you, in fact, receive it from one Miss Hermione Granger as a Christmas present?"

"Yes but-"

"And were you indeed responsible for the recent rash of house elves-"

"No!" Weasley said quickly, his eyes darting to the window, "Hermione, you know I wouldn't do that. You know me."

"Mr. Weasley-"

"I didn't kill anyone. I didn't," Weasley sighed, rubbing his face.

The room was silent save for the quiet breaths of those around him and Draco felt the warm body slide up next to his.

"Take Hermione out." Harry Potter said too close to his ear, "She won't listen to me but she doesn't need to be here for this."

Draco scoffed, "You don't think she should make her own choices? What, _now_ you're deciding to think of her?"

Potter's jaw clenched and Draco tried not to smirk as he pushed away from the wall, making his way to where Granger stood.

"Potter says I should take you out of here," he said simply, looking ahead and he felt, rather than saw her shoot the man a glare from across the room.

"I'm not leaving," she snapped.

"I know," he replied simply, his eyes trained back on the room before him.

"-no, I was at The Burrow, my parent's home, the evening of the attack. I left after dinner and returned home shortly after. Before you ask, no, no one can corroborate my story because my fiancé was not home at the time and I had just finished a case."

"Yes," the man said, looking over his glasses at the parchment in his hands, "The Malfoy case. Tell me, can you tell me your whereabouts at the time that Mr. Malfoy was attacked…"

The air around him shifted and Draco felt the eyes slowly find him in the darkened room as the moment dragged on and Weasley didn't answer. Not right away.

"I was at home-" he finally said, his jaw tight and Draco saw something there. The slightest of pauses.

"It seems that the Malfoy case was closed rather quickly, can you tell me why?"

"Closed?" Draco asked, turning to look at Hermione who merely shook her head, her eyes looking forward.

Weasley said nothing, his face growing red as he sat under the unseen scrutiny of his peers before he finally snapped, "It was closed because it was the right thing to do. People _died_ because of him; Friends, family, my _brother_ died and the git gets off with a slap on the wrist. I didn't kill Blaise and I don't know who did. _I_ didn't attack Malfoy but if the worst they're doing is going after the cowards who arse kissed their way out of punishment than far be it for me to stop them and if it gets him away from _my_ fiancé then all's well that ends well."

The silence in the room was near deafening as the weasel finished, his voice louder and more angry than Draco could ever remember it being before, and he felt as though the room was just a bit too small.

He moved then, pushing past those around him as he made his way to the exit, ignoring Hermione's call for him as he quickly exited the room, slamming the door behind him.


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any other recognizable characters.**

 **A/N: I hope this chapter clears up some questions readers had. It does get a little...steamy. Proceed with caution.**

 **Chapter 19**

HERMIONE  
Present

Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was the quietest Hermione could ever remember seeing it before. Of course the last time she _remembered_ being in the shop was when it had been new and a joint venture. She swallowed against the lump in her throat as she thought of Fred and pushed forward, smiling to herself at the shelves lined with products. It was close to closing time and Diagon Alley itself had begun to thin out which left the light from the outside shining inside the shop and she would be lying if she said it wasn't one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. Her fingertips ran over the tops of the nearby displays, taking in the bright colors that seemed to gleam in the moonlight as she read their names; puking pastilles, nosebleed nougats, forgetful figs, bruising bonbons, and- Hermione's personal favorite- seasick sweeties.

"See something you like?" Hermione whirled around at the voice as George winked at her exaggeratedly and she clutched at her heart. "Sorry, didn't mean to give you a fright. It's good to see you."

"You too," she smiled as the man came around to give her a tight hug. "I thought- well, Draco had said-"

George feigned a pout and shook his head, "and here I thought I was the only man you'd come to see… he's in the back."

Hermione chuckled and allowed George to lead her towards the back of the store as she continued to take in the sights, "You've expanded."

"We have. Have to thank your husband for a lot of that, the man could rub two sickles together and make ten galleons-"

Hermione smiled at the thought, "I'm glad, I mean after Fred-"

She trailed off, her eyes widening at her own thoughtlessness and she bit down on her tongue to keep herself from rambling anymore.

George turned then, a smile on his face, "You know, Freddie liked you. Always said you were too good for our brother. I know it's new for you Hermione. We've had years to deal with it and you're just now getting there. It's okay to talk about him, I don't mind."

"Mind what? 'Mione?" Draco asked, appearing out of the back room.

"Hi, yes. Sorry, I hope you don't mind. I wasn't much for working at the moment and you had said-"

"Yes, I mean, no. I'm glad you're here," Draco smiled and she couldn't help but return the gesture as George let out a low, playful whistle.

"Go on you two, I'll close up here by myself."

Draco smirked as he reached up to rub the back of his neck and Hermione could see the faint pink tint that crept across his cheeks.

"Oh, and don't forget to grab some of the skiving snackbox line. If this year's party is anything like last you might need one to get away from Mum." Draco laughed at that and George clapped him on the back, "Good to see you 'Mione, come 'round more often. I could always use a pretty face around here… just don't tell Angelina I said that."

Hermione rolled her eyes as the man disappeared into the backroom once more and Draco gestured, holding his arm out to her, "Shall we?"

She nodded, stepping forward to slide her arm into his and ignoring the feeling of belonging it seemed to resonate within her as they walked toward the front of the store. Draco plucked a box off the shelf and handed it to her, "He wasn't kidding about last year; we might need this."

"What happened last year?"

Draco sighed, "Ron showed up plastered and Molly took the mickey out of him. Ginny and Harry had a row and George ended up setting off the fireworks just to get everyone to calm down. Only, he had grabbed the wrong container and it ended up setting the kitchen on fire."

Hermione gasped, "It didn't!"

"It did," Draco laughed, "It's a right laugh now but then…"

"Poor Molly."

"Poor George. I don't think he's still recovered for that particular talking to from Molly or Angelina."

Hermione smiled up at him as they walked arm in arm through the streets of Diagon alley, "You get along with them well."

He pursed his lips then, but nodded, looking down to his feet as though his expensive leather shoes had just become the most fascinating thing in the world.

"Afterwards-"he began after a moment and Hermione didn't need to ask what he was talking about. "it was like I was sleepwalking. I mean, I had a friend or two I spent time with but most of my time was spent in the manor with my mother. When I met you things changed and it wasn't easy, it was damn hard actually but somehow they accepted me. Welcomed me even. We're lucky to have them. I'm lucky to have them."

Hermione felt her lips pull up at his last words as he stared down at her intently, because somehow she knew he wasn't just talking about the Weasley-Potter families.

"Kiss me?" she asked suddenly, her voice low and commanding.

He didn't need to be asked twice.

DRACO  
PAST

He was a coward.

Of course that was something he had known for a long while.

But just then, as he sat on the dirty floor of the ministry, hidden behind a mail cart in the dark recesses of Hermione's office, he couldn't think of a time when he had been any more cowardly.

Ron Weasley had just admitted-to a room full of aurors no less- that he had closed out a case in the hopes that some faceless vigilante would do him in. He should be fighting tooth and nail to find out who was behind the attacks and to see the ginger oaf get what was coming to him. Instead he was hiding, his eyes red and burning. He was tired; tired of fighting. Tired of trying to restore something that had never really belonged to him in the first place. The Malfoy name was far too tainted now, too clouded by the misdeeds of his father's choices. He was tired of trying to carve a place for himself in the shadow of his father's reputation.

"Draco?" He smirked woefully to himself as Hermione's voice filled the confines of his solitude. Of course she would find him, brightest witch of their age indeed, "Draco, I know you're in here, you broke the wards on my door."

He groaned softly and finally tilted his head back to rest on the wall behind him, "Here," he finally said gruffly and soon she had slid in beside him, her back resting against the wall as she slid down to rest beside him.

He jumped slightly as he felt her hand, searching for his and her fingers laced through his, squeezing as they sat in silence.

"He's right you know," Draco said finally after a moment.

"Draco-"

"People died Granger," he snapped lowly, his thoughts going back to that night on the astronomy tower; the night that felt like lifetimes ago. The night that had cemented his fate.

"Draco-" she started again but he shook his head, pulling his hand from hers and leaning forward, running his long fingers through his hair roughly.

"People _died_. Dumbledore, Fred Weasley, Lavender Brown, people I grew up with, people who cared about me. They died and I didn't do anything to stop it."

She was up then, pulling his hands from his hair as she sat on her knees before him, and he could see a small light coming from the tip of her wand, now discarded on the floor beside them.

"Draco, look at me," she said sternly and he was loathe not to listen to her, "you made mistakes but you were a _child_. We were all children and we had far too much thrust upon us. What I said before, that our scars don't define us, I meant that Draco. Your scars are no less important than mine just because of how you got them, it's what you did with it after and what you do with it now that matters."

She was looking at him with so much intensity that he could almost feel the heat of her gaze. He reached up then, his fingers tracing the smooth line of her jaw and he slowly ran his finger along it. He waited, for her to pull away, to push him away as she had done before. Instead she closed her eyes, her own hand coming up to cover his as she leaned into his touch.

It was her this time. That moved forward, capturing his lips with her own and he didn't think twice as he pulled her down, her knees straddling his lap as he deepened the kiss.

He knew he should stop.

He didn't.

As she ran her fingers through his hair and her fingers found the button on his trousers he knew it wasn't right but the small part of him that was screaming to stop was drowned out by the overwhelming heat that was burning him alive from the inside out.

He reached between them, pushing her knickers to the side as soon as she had freed his cock and he pulled her down on him, letting out a deep, guttural moan as he filled her.

They moved together, setting a rhythm naturally as if they had been made for each other and the heat continued to sear him with each thrust into her. Her fingernails raked across his scalp, her lips trailing up and down the sharp angle of his jaw as his fingernails dug half circles into her hip bones until the all-consuming fire reached a head and he felt himself come undone as her walls tightened around him and together they came, their breaths evening out as they rested their foreheads together.

"I didn't-" he started quietly, clearing his throat, "That's not how I wanted that to happen."

She bit her lip, a tear falling from the corner of her deep brown eye and he reached up to cup her cheeks, wiping it away gently as she sighed, "me either."

A soft knocking at the door pulled them apart and Hermione closed her eyes, "That'll be Harry."

Draco nodded as she pulled herself off of him and she quickly used her wand to clean them both up as she righted her skirt and he tucked himself back into his trousers and rose to his feet.

She started to the door and he followed but just as she reached it, she turned, reaching up to press her lips once more to his, "I don't regret it."

And despite everything, he was smiling as they left the room.

HERMIONE  
Present

Hermione was still smiling as they arrived back at the manor with a gift for James that Draco had assured her would be appropriate and well received by the little boy. It had taken them both nearly half an hour to pick out the toy quidditch pitch that had real working lights and sound. It was magicked to look like the stands were full and the crowd cheered whenever one team would make a goal. Draco only slightly looked guilty as he bought the Holyhead Harpies arch rivals to go along with it and Hermione was sure Ginny would give him an earful but she just couldn't bring herself to care as he kept sneaking kisses in.

She had held his hand as they walked through the toy store, ignoring the glances that seemed to follow them and for what it was worth, Draco seemed oblivious to the onlookers as he leaned down to kiss the side of her lips or moved her hair to place one along her neck, sending shivers down her spine.

She would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't entirely too turned on, her body reacting to the ministrations as though she had been starved for them.

Now, as she sat perched on the edge of the counter in the Malfoy kitchen, her legs dangling over the side as she sipped on a glass of wine, she could say that she had never seen a better sight as she watched Draco flit around the kitchen, making spaghetti Bolognese.

"Mum should be back with the children soon," he said, meeting her gaze over his shoulder as he stirred in some garlic to his sauce and then used his pinky to taste it. He nodded once and washed his hands before grabbing a spoon and bringing a taste to her lips.

She hummed in approval as the blend of spices danced on her tongue and he smirked at her knowingly as a blush rose up her cheeks and she took a large sip of her wine.

"So, where did you learn to cook?" she finally asked, watching as he used his wand to charm a knife to cut a loaf of French bread and he turned to her, leaning against the counter opposite her.

"Would you believe me if I told you Molly taught me?"

Hermione snickered as the idea of the matronly Weasley bossing Malfoy around her kitchen flitted through her head and the man across from her quirked his brow.

"Yes, it's exactly as you're imagining."

She laughed out loud then, tipping her head back as Draco stepped forward between her legs, his palms resting against her thighs, the heat from his touch burning through her muggle jeans and she sobered up at the feeling as he leaned in to kiss her timidly on the lips.

She leaned into him, sighing against his lips as he deepened the kiss, his hand entwining in the curls at the nape of her neck before he finally pulled away.

"I've missed this," he breathed and Hermione nodded as he pulled away to pick up his wand and turned back to his cooking.

"So," Hermione started after a moment, "You said before that you would tell me about the house elves…"

She saw Draco stiffen ever so slightly before he turned to her once more and nodded, "I was talking to Harry and we thought maybe you should read of it instead. I mean, if the healers are right reading your own writing might ensure that your memories aren't modified. It's a good bloody thing you insisted we keep them all. They're in the study."

Hermione sucked her teeth, "I never thought I would say this but good idea Malfoy."

He rolled his eyes at her as she slid off the counter and grabbed her wine glass, her feet carrying her through the halls of the manor and towards the study. She smiled to herself as she entered the room, unable to resist the urge to run her fingers over the spines of the books on the shelves as she breathed in the scent of her husband that seemed forever present in the room.

She found the row of black bound books easily, blinking back the tears that threatened at her lashes as she thought of the first book. Her father handing it to her while she stood on the platform at King's Cross, ready to leave for her new life. The life she had never known she wanted.

She pulled out the first book, flipping through the pages quickly as a frowned settled over her lips and she set the book down on Draco's desk. The second book was the same, and the third, and the fourth and she began to feel a pool of dread growing in her stomach.

"'Mione?" she turned to see Draco looking at her worriedly, Lyra on his hip, "What's wrong?"

"Draco, these aren't my books."

 **A/N: Everyone read The Cursed Child? I'm still debating on if I want to. Help a girl decide!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any other recognizable characters.  
all typos are mine however. **

**A/N: Kind of a big deal in this one! Hope you're ready for it!**

 **Chapter 20**

 ** _Draco_**  
 ** _Past_**

"I don't like it." Hermione said again as she huffed across the room from him.

"Hermione, you don't have to like it." Harry said once more from where he stood behind his desk, leaning against the fake window there.

"Harry-"

"Do you want to catch him or not?" Draco finally said, earning a glare from Hermione as Potter looked at him as though he had suddenly sprouted a duck bill.

"Ron-"

"Ron is being put on probation, as is half of the auror department Hermione, but we need to make it look like we agree with this, like we don't care…"

"They need to use me as bait." Draco finished and he was surprised to find Potter looking at him in sympathy.

"No!" Hermione said forcefully and Draco felt a little better knowing she actually cared. He was still sated from their romp in her office not that long ago, her last words to him ringing in his ears. "Find another way."

"Okay." Draco said and Potter started to argue as a knock sounded on the door and Hermione looked very smug as Potter crossed the room and opened the door to see the Weasel standing there, looking as though someone had broken his broom in two.

"Ron-"

"I just want to talk to her Harry," the man implored and Draco saw Hermione tense from the other side of the room, her brown eyes meeting his briefly.

"I don't think that now is a good time," Potter started but Hermione stepped forward then, cutting the man off.

"I'll meet you in your office."

The Weasel seemed to inflate at that, nodding eagerly and turning on his heel to, presumably, head back to his office.

"Hermione," Potter started but she shook her head, walking to where Draco still sat.

"I meant what I said before. I'll be back," she explained and Draco nodded, knowing she was talking about more than just Potter's office. "Don't make any plans without me."

Harry rolled his eyes as she exited the office and he sat down heavily in the chair behind his desk, "Malfoy-"

"Let's do this Potter."

"What?"

"Don't be daft," Draco snapped, "I want to catch this git."

Potter grinned at him, his eyes looking towards the door as though expecting Granger to pop back in and catch them, "she's not going to like this."

"It's a good thing I don't care then," he lied easily and Potter nodded before he started laying out the plans to use him as bait and, hopefully, catch the bastard who was targeting them and Draco only hoped that if he survived this that Granger wouldn't murder him.

 **HERMIONE**  
 **present**.

"And I didn't write about your scar Harry," she sighed as she sat on the couch in Grimmauld place. Draco was perched beside her as Harry paced worriedly in front of her, "I didn't want it in writing but it's there. It's not all correct but it's there."

"I knew I had read it somewhere," Ginny called as she appeared in the doorway, her hand on her massive stomach and a paper clutched in her hands.

Harry took the proffered daily, his brow furrowed as he read the words there before he passed it along to Hermione.

 **Boy Who Lived with the Dark Lord**

Was emblazoned along the top, a photo of Harry on loop as he sat in the hospital wing at Hogwarts not long after the last battle had ended, an endless loop of a time most of them desperately wanted to forget.

"It's all in there," Ginny said, "The same things written in your 'diaries' how the three of you went on a scavenger hunt for them, how Ron was supposedly locked up at The Burrow with spattergroit…"

"And look at the author," Harry sneered and Hermione's eyes narrowed as she saw Rita Skeeter's name there.

"So, whoever took my real journals just, what? Copied these down?"

"Perhaps…" Harry said and Hermione could see the wheels turning in his head, "I want to take them in. Have magical artifacts take a look at them…"

Hermione nodded, "I just don't understand why someone would take them and…"

She trailed off as she thought back to the first days after her memory had been lost and the book Draco had brought to her.

"I still have one, Draco brought it to me in St. Mungos…"

"Where is it?" Harry asked.

"My office," she said lowly and Harry nodded as he stood up and grabbed his wand and she followed.

"I'll stay here, with Gin and the kids," Draco said quietly as he helped her put on her cloak and slipped her wand into her hand. She nodded and turned to follow to where Harry was waiting before she turned back and grabbed Draco's face, kissing him hard on the mouth before she finally turned and followed Harry out of the door.

* * *

The ministry was empty when they arrived, the only person the night guard who didn't so much as question them as he checked in their wands and let them on their way.

"Hermione, let your wards down and let me go first…" Harry said as they approached her office. She almost argued with him, told him she could take care of herself but the look on his face gave her pause and she finally nodded and let down her wards, letting Harry take point as she followed behind, wand at the ready.

Her office was the same as she had left it when she had left earlier and she felt a little silly for holding her wand too tightly in her palm as they looked around the space.

She sighed as she moved to where the books she had were stacked and rifled through them as Harry eyed the office, ever the auror and always vigilant. It wasn't until she had reached the end of the stack that she realized it was gone.

"Nowhere?" Harry asked after she had voiced it to him.

"It's gone Harry."

She sat down in her chair, trying to figure it out as her eyes danced to the jar of beans on her desk.

"Harry?" she said slowly as her friend stopped his investigating to look at her, "someone has been here."

"How can you tell?" he asked.

"The beans, they were low this morning. I had thought of getting more but-" she waved to where the jar was now full to the brim of the colorful treats.

Harry frowned deeply, his brow creasing as he stepped forward and prodded the beans with the tip of his wand, "odd-"

Hermione quirked a brow at her friend, "Odd that whoever stole from me replenished my beans?"

"No," Harry said as he quickly cast a charm to place a stasis around the jar, "odd that you haven't eaten Bertie Botts in years. Whoever placed these here did it for a reason and I'd wager my entire Gringott's account that is has something to do with your memories."

 **A/N: I'm sorry about the wait. As it stands I'm not sure I'm entirely happy with this chapter, I had planned on extending it out but the flow just wasn't right with what comes next. We are, however, winding down. Hope you're ready!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any other recognizable works or characters.**

 **A/N: Another little chapter for you! Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 21**

 **Draco**  
 **past**

The plan was simple enough, laid out in such a way that Draco would look suspicious without actually doing anything illicit- as Potter had taken to reminding him not to do. Putting the plan into action so that they would attract the attention of whomever was behind the attacks while avoiding Granger's wrath, however, was a different story entirely.

This was how Draco found himself standing on Potter's doorstep, waiting for him to answer the door and feeling wholly unnerved. Of course he had been here before, with Granger, but coming alone- to visit Potter of all people- was something completely out of his comfort zone.

"Ah, Malfoy, was wondering if you would show," Potter said suddenly, pulling him out of his reverie as the bespectacled man opened the front door.

"I said I would, didn't I?" Draco muttered, following the man inside the large foyer and shrugging off his cloak.

"Er- right," Potter said, "We don't have much time, 'Mione should be here soon for dinner-"

Draco steeled himself and gave a curt nod, "Let's get on with it then."

Potter, to his credit, became slightly less awkward as he led him through the house and into the kitchen and Draco nodded at the men already sitting at the table, ignoring the red haired and equally as red faced weasel sitting farthest from the door.

"Mister Malfoy," a pudgy man with a receeding hairline said jovially at his entrance, "So glad you could make it, if you wouldn't mind taking a seat and we can get right down to business."

Draco did as he was told, sitting down in the empty chair in front of him and pulling the cup of tea towards him. Potter slid into the seat at the head of the table then and nodded his head as he began, pulling out his wand and tapping the table once as a map appeared out of nowhere. "As I previously discussed with Malfoy, tomorrow at first light he will find his way to Knockturn alley. You two will be located here, and here," he pointed his finger at the two shops on either side of the alley, "You will discreetly trail Malfoy while maintaining a safe distance. While myself and auror Weasley tail…closer."

Draco nodded, remembering the cloak that Potter had that would allow the two to follow at his side.

"How can you be sure that whoever is doing this will even try anything Potter? It could be a waste of our resources." Another wizard asked, his dark brows furrowed in question.

"We can't, you're right Auror Broadmoor." Potter nodded, "However, Auror Weasley has spread the word that the auror department and the minister sided with his team on closing the Malfoy and Zabini case. He's been working to make sure that everyone in the ministry knows it too. It's our hopes that this will encourage those behind the attacks that it's safe to strike again."

"And if they don't?" the stubby man from before asked.

"Well, that's where Malfoy comes in," Potter explained. "It's our hopes that in having Malfoy acting… questionable it will lead whoever this is out of hiding."

"And how are you covering for these sudden change in actions?"

Potter opened his mouth to speak but instead Draco leaned forward, "That is where I come in," he said, meeting the gaze of the other two wizards in the room, still ignoring Weasley, "While in Knockturn alley I will pay a visit to Burgin where I will settle up some debts. While there I will be sure to mention how unfairly the ministry has treated me and how they can expect retribution. I will continue this trend at the other stores I visit and then finally at the pub. It's sure to get back to whomever rather quickly."

The two wizards sighed largely, as though they weren't certain but finally each gave a nod, "We'll trust you on this Potter," said the dark haired auror and Potter smiled wanly at him, accepting that before he left to show the two men out. Draco finished the last sip of his tea before he pushed his chair out from the table.

"It won't last you know," Weasley said, his voice low and dark.

Draco turned to look at him, noting the man's red rimmed eyes that were more pronounced thanks to the dark circles lining them.

"She's not in a good place right now and she'll figure it out. She'll come back-" Draco quirked a brow at the man's words. It seemed more that the weasel was talking more to himself than to Draco. "Whatever spell you've got her under, it won't last."

Draco scoffed and shook his head but bit back the retort on his tongue as he turned away from the man before him.

"Because at the end of the day, you're still one of the lot that killed her dad and drove her mother mad. You're still the filthy death eater that watched her be tortured on your living room floor. If it wasn't for Azkaban I wouldn't even think twice about-"

"Ron," Draco craned his head to see Potter standing beside him, his mouth pulled into a thin line and his shoulders stiff as he glared across the room at his best mate, "That's enough."

"No Harry, it's not!" Ron argued back, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the wand in his hand, "I don't know how you can stand there and think it's okay that this ferret is even talking to Hermione-"

"Because it's Hermione's choice Ron, not mine. Not yours. And for whatever reason…" the man sighed and glanced sideways, an apology on his face, " for whatever reason Malfoy brought her back. She hasn't- she wasn't the same but she's back now and I will _never_ forget that it was Draco that did that. I owe him."

The man before them seethed but finally, relenting, lowered his wand and moved around the chair. He moved towards the kitchen door but stopped with his hand on the wooden surface, turning his head only enough to speak over his shoulder, "I can't do it Harry. Find yourself another lackey mate, I'm not helping _him_."

And with that, he was gone.

Potter groaned and moved to lean against the nearest counter, rubbing his hand down his face roughly, "He's… he hasn't been the same. After Fred-"

"You don't need to explain to me Potter." Draco said quietly, "I- I don't exactly blame him."

Potter chuckled darkly at that and moved to look at the blonde haired man before him, crossing his arms over his chest, "I didn't either- at first. I uh... I actually told Hermione to stay away from you. I thought that was why she was spending so much time with you. Because we told her not to…"

Draco smirked at that, his gaze dropping to his toes as he thought of the bushy haired witch who would so willingly go against everything her best friends, her _family_ , told her to do.

"But I don't think that's it," Harry continued and Draco looked up to meet his soft green gaze, "Before it was like… she was a shell. The grief, of her parents, of _everything_. She put on a brave face, poured herself into her work but it was… it was never the same. There was something missing. Until she came here that first day. She showed up here, after, cursing your name," Harry stopped, chuckling softly before he sobered, "you lit that fire in her again. I can't fault you for anything. Not after that. Just… don't hurt her."

Draco knew then, as he stood in the kitchen of Harry Potter's home, that it was no longer a secret. Everyone else could see it too and there was no coming back.

"It's the last thing I want to do," he said softly and Harry nodded, the corner of his lips pulling up in a smirk as he reached out his hand, a truce waiting in the palm of his hand and tentatively, Draco reached out. Accepting.

* * *

Draco apparated into the foyer and slowly made his way up the steps. He wondered, as his hand slid up the banister if it was his last night to make this trek and as such, his feet grew heavier and slower.

When he made it to his room he stopped, his hand hovering over the detailed knob that would lead him to his bed and instead he turned, his feet carrying him down the dark hallway to the door at the end. His mother had moved into the room after his father had been sentenced, not able to bear being in the room that held so many memories. He could see the light filtering from under the door and he smiled to himself as he reached out to gently tap on the door.

"Come in," her soft voice called from within and he opened the door to find her sitting up in her bed, reading a book, "Oh, Draco. You're home, I wasn't sure when to expect you- what's wrong?"

He sighed as he met her eyes and she held her hand out, beckoning him closer. He obliged as he slid into the room and perched on the end of the bed.

"My boy, tell me what's wrong," she said softly and he took a deep, steadying breath before he told her everything. Of his plans, of Hermione, of his guilt at everything he had ever done wrong. When he was done she simply smiled at him and reached out, pulling him down beside her on the bed and smoothing his hair back like she had so often when he was a child. "My sweet baby."

He scoffed at that but she shushed him gently before placing a kiss on his forehead.

"I know you feel you must do this but there has to be another way," she said after some minutes of silence, "I can't- I can't lose you too."

He pulled away from her then and sat up straighter, shaking his head, "This… it's the easiest way mother. Before anyone else dies… it's the _right_ thing to do."

She smiled then, reaching out to cup his cheek and she nodded, a lone tear rolling down her cheek. "I understand. I don't like it, but I do… I do understand."

"I just wanted you to know and… well I had an idea."

She listened as he told her of what he wanted her to do before she nodded and kissed his forehead once more, promising to act upon his wishes first thing in the morning. He wished her goodnight and tried not to think of the possibility that it was also goodbye as he walked out the door and back into his room, realizing he wasn't alone as soon as he stepped foot inside.


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

 **A/N: So this is a short chapter. _However_ , the story is pretty much written and ready to go! I'm excited about that! I would LOVE to hear your thoughts as it seems that my last chapter had a TON of favorites and follows but not many reviews. I want to know if ANYONE has figured it out yet! **

**Chapter 22**

 **Draco**  
 **Past**

"What are you doing here?" he asked as he caught sight of her from where she stood beside his fireplace.

"You're mum let me in… I hope that's-" he cut her off as he crossed the room, pulling her lips to his roughly.

She responded in kind, her hands going to his hair, dragging her fingernails along his scalp as he suckled on her bottom lip, relishing in the moans that it elicited. He gripped her hips, pulling her body flush against his as his want for her began to grow until she reached out, pushing him back. Her breathing was shallow, her cheeks a delicious shade of pink, and her eyes were wide and glassy. He marveled at the beauty of her as she calmed herself.

"Draco-" she breathed, "We need to talk about this… "

The euphoria he felt sank hard like a stone in the black lake and he turned away from her as he composed himself.

"Don't-" she said suddenly, her hand reaching out to grasp his arm, tugging him backwards, "Don't do that. Don't shut me out."

His knees hit the bed and she reached out to lightly push him backwards where he landed hard on his mattress and she followed behind, linking their hands together.

She looked up at him from underneath her long, dark lashes, chewing on her bottom lip and he reached out to gently use his thumb to pull it free, "What do you want to talk about?"  
"I just- it's fast Draco. I didn't- I was just engaged to Ronald and then I wasn't but-"

"But…" he urged her on.

"But I can't deny that there's something here, between us," she said softly and he found himself smiling down at her.

"Of course there is," he smirked.

She rolled her eyes, "don't get cocky."

He chuckled at that before he sobered, leaning down to brush a kiss gently against her lips, his hand against her cheek, "I wouldn't dream of it. I know… I know you might need time. I'm not… I'm not going to push you towards anything."

She nodded, reaching up to put her hand over his, as she let him kiss her once more.

He meant what he had said, he wouldn't push her into being with him. He wanted to offer her all the time in the world, but he couldn't. Not yet. Perhaps not ever. He would never tell her but time might be something he didn't have enough of.

So for now, he would take what he could get.

 **Hermione**  
 **Present**

She was lying on the couch, her feet on Draco's lap as they both read their books before the fire. Draco's thumb was mindlessly rubbing on her arch and a small smile playing on his lips as she held back a moan at the sensation of his ministrations.

She set her book down on her chest, looking at the man before her and he smiled at her innocently, "What?" he asked when she narrowed her eyes at him.

"You know what-" she started just as the fire roared and Harry's head appeared in the flames, "Harry!"

"Oh good, you're both here-"

"Is everything alright?"

Harry shook his head, "We've got the results back from the beans, I was just hoping you'd be able to come here. Ginny's been having contractions and I don't want to leave if-"

"Of course-" Hermione said quickly, pulling her feet from her husband's grasp and sitting up, "We'll be right over."

Harry nodded, "I'll open up the floo."

He disappeared then and Hermione summoned her and Draco's shoes as Draco went to find his mother in the kitchen to look in on the children. She was finishing slipping on her favorite, worn black ballet flats when he appeared, "Mum said to let her know if Ginny needs anything."

Hermione nodded and stepped in the floo, Draco's face flashing once before her eyes before she was swirling through the floo before she finally landed in Harry and Ginny's kitchen grate and she stepped out, wiping off the soot as she came face to face with Harry and George.

"Oh, hello George," she smiled and the wizard looked at her sadly as Draco appeared behind her, uttering the same phrase as they all sat down at the table.

"What's going on?" Draco asked finally, his eyes going between the two men.

"Nothing good I'm afraid," Harry said, "I had Barnard run the tests on the beans from Hermione's office, turns out they weren't regular beans at all…"

"What were they?" Draco asked quickly.

"They were laced with the potion we use in our forgetful figs. Enough to take down a horse honestly," George said lowly and visions of Hermione's trip to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes flitted through her head. She had seen those sweets there, had read the name. Her stomach clenched at the thought.

"So what does that mean? Is it reversible?" Draco asked as Hermione's head started to spin.

"Well… not exactly-" George started and Hermione made her way to the nearest chair to sit down as Draco all but exploded.

"How do you mean 'not exactly'?"

"Draco-" Harry started calmly.

"Shut up Potter." Draco snapped before turning to George, "Tell me."

"The effects do wear off. Eventually. The amount in the forgetful figs is enough to make you forget which pocket you put your wand in; the beans in Hermione's office have more potency and longer reaching effects. For example, we had one of my interns try one and she forgot she worked for me. She still hadn't remembered when I left…"

"So someone tampered with the potion?" Hermione finally asked, forcing the words out of her mouth like sick and all three of the men turned towards her, "Someone would have to have known the potion to begin with then right George? I mean, you and Fred never… you never gave out your secrets, before."

George nodded, understanding creasing his brow, "Yes, it's under lock and key which means that it had to have been taken by someone that has a key to that lock…"

"And who would that be?" Draco asked roughly and Hermione reached out to grasp his fingers with her own.

"Well there's only two of us…" George started, his face turning ghostly white, "Myself and Ron."

 **A/N: The plot thickens! (I've always wanted to use that! ha!) Seriously though, any ideas? Theories? things you wish would happen?  
** **Also, I was wondering if there would be any interest in submitting prompts. A plot, a quote, song lyrics, etc. I would then, in turn, use those to write a Dramione story. I obviously have no life lately and would love to do this for the readers out there that want to see certain things and put my own spin on them! Only about 4 more chapters to go though! We're close to being done!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **A/N: I have some _amazing_ fic prompt and ideas that came in! You all are amazing! **

**Chapter 23**

 **Hermione**  
 **Present**

"He'll be here any moment," Draco said as he returned to the sitting room where Hermione was waiting and she gave a stiff nod as he sat down beside her on the sofa.

"I just can't believe…" Hermione started, shaking her head and turning it to watch the flames flicker in the room.

Draco gave a scoff and sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he gazed ahead tiredly.

"I- I'm sorry," Hermione started and Draco looked at her in surprise.

"What the bloody hell would you have to feel sorry for?" the man grunted.

"For… this," she gestured around her, "For all of it. If you had married someone else. Someone like Astoria…"

Draco did laugh then, the sound startling in the quiet room, "Astoria is a daft twit. Honestly, Leo is probably better company than she but she is very good at commanding a board room and she's very hard to say no to. She tried to blackmail me once," he laughed again then, remembering some distant memory, "wanted to be married so she could take over her father's company. Pursued me for a while actually but… well she's never been a match for you."

"Me? What did-"

The door opened then, cutting off Hermione's questioning as Harry led a puzzled looking Ron into the room.

"Take his wand," he said, tossing it to Draco as he urged Ron to sit down.

"What's all this about then?" the befuddled man asked, his eyes darting between the bodies around him in the room though he still had a small smile on his face.

Hermione stared at the man she had once loved, long ago before she could do it no longer and she turned, instead to look at the fire once more, feeling Draco's hand on her hip as she did so; the action comforted her, if only just.

"Ronald, I need you to think very carefully, did you take something from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes?" Harry asked sternly, "Something you weren't supposed to?"

Hermione looked over her shoulder to see the man looking up in confusion at Harry before he shook his head, "No, why, is something missing?"

"I've got it." George appeared in the doorway, a vial in his hand that was smoking from the top; the liquid inside was blue and gold and seemed to be moving of its own accord in the entrapment.

"What's that?" Hermione asked lowly, her eyes following the man as he walked closer to his younger brother.

Draco swallowed, turning to look her in the eye, "it's an experiment," he explained, "something George and I have been working on."

"What does it do?" she asked and she watched as George handed the vial to Harry, a slight shake to his hands slopping a bit of the frothy blue drink down the side.

"Let's hope what it's supposed to." Draco muttered as George returned to stand beside them both and Harry instructed Ron to open his mouth, pouring in the contents, and commanding the man to swallow.

Almost instantly it seemed that something was wrong. Ronald writhed and twitched in the chair, his hands gripping the armrests where Harry and Draco had magically secured him, his head tipping back as a low mewling sound left his lips and Hermione's gut wrenched.

"Stop it! Stop! Don't you see you're hurting him!" she cried out and she felt Draco's arm wrap round her middle, holding her in place.

As suddenly as the torture had seemed to begin, it ended and Ron was silent. His chin was tucked to his chest, his red head bobbing slightly as it came to a rest. The moment stretched on and Hermione felt Draco's hand tightening on her hip and she could taste the salt from the tears that strolled lazily down her cheeks until…

"Bloody hell!" Ron shouted, his eyes wide and his chest heaving as he sat up.

"We don't have much time Harry," George said, looking to the bespectacled man.

Harry nodded and stepped forward, "Ronald, you've been given a test serum developed by your brother. We believe you may have been imperiused, this serum is designed to counteract the effects of the spell but seeing as it hasn't been thoroughly tested, it won't hold for long. Can you tell me anything about the last few months-"

Ron stopped fighting against the restraints then, looking at the people in the room around him, his eyes landing on Hermione and softening.

"No, I- I can't- just bits and pieces. Like… like I'm missing something. Like there's holes-"

"What's the last thing you clearly remember?" Harry asked quickly.

Ron shook his head, turning to his best mate then, his face screwing up in concentration- "James was ill… you were on assignment and-"

Draco muttered a low oath and Hermione turned to look at him, her nose brushing against his, "That's was _months_ ago."

"Gin asked me to go get something for her. She wasn't feeling well either- Oh God. Harry, Gin?"

"She's fine." Harry assured him with a small smile, "Upstairs now, look Ron, what do you remember? About that day?"

"I had gone to get her some pepper up potion for Jamie and there was this girl there. Asked me for my help, said her brother was in trouble. I- I went around back and-"

His words trailed off then, his eyes rolling up in his head before he slumped forward once more and Hermione let out a soft gasp.

Harry cursed, rather loudly, as George walked forward to lay a hand on his shoulder as something trickled into Hermione's memory. Slow at first and then faster as she turned to her husband, "Where would I keep my things from work?"

"What?" he asked quietly, though her words had already attracted the notice of the other men in the room.  
"Harry-" she said, turning to address the man, "I helped set the wards on your office because you…well honestly you were always shite at setting wards. No offense-"

"None taken," the man said with a wry grin.

Hermione continued with barely a pause, "And I did it for Ron too, though I never really told him, but I also set up an alarm system of sorts. The one I was working on before…"

Harry's face slowly morphed from one of confusion to one of understanding as a smile stretched across his lips, "You're absolutely brilliant Hermione and I love you, have I told you that enough?"

George cleared his throat, "Mind filling us in too mate?"

"Right," Harry said, "Hermione developed a spell. It's on…well just about everywhere. It's genius really. It monitors the areas around which the spell has been cast, shows who has been in and out and where they go-"

"The map-" George started with a raised brow.

"I was inspired by it, yes," Hermione said quickly, "but I added a little more and-"

"And it keeps a log of everyone who has entered the premises," Harry finished with a grin.

"So that means, whoever was in my office would be on my log, but seeing as Ron seems to be under a strong imperius spell whoever it was would have had to have been checking up on him so perhaps-"

"They went to his office as well! Brilliant Hermione!" Harry beamed.

"Yes well, let's get on with it then," Draco said moodily and Hermione cast him a look before Harry interrupted.

"I'll take Ron in; we need to keep him away from the general public until we figure this out."

"I'll spread the word that he's come down with something-"George supplied, picking up the empty vial, "And I'll pass this along to Lee, he'll want to know how long it held so we can tweak it. I'll have the report in by Monday, Malfoy."

"Let's go," Draco said, letting go of her to grasp her hand in his, tugging her along gently behind him. He entered the fireplace first, disappearing before her and she tumbled in after him, appearing on their own hearth suddenly. She slid out, her hand finding his in the dark of the room as they began to move.

They walked towards the study as Hermione found the nerve to speak, "Why is George reporting to you?"

Draco slowed his pace, moving to stand beside her as they walked, "When my dad was imprisoned he tried to claim he was imperiused again. Everyone knew it was a lie, I mean the man had practically been responsible for- well he was guilty. When he claimed it, however, so did countless others. They were… they were all tried. Imprisoned. There was just no way to know. I couldn't- I couldn't let it continue Hermione. Some of those people… they don't deserve to be in there. When Potter testified for my mother, for me, I didn't think I deserved it. You helped change that but I still… I felt like I should have gotten harder punishment-"

"You were a child Draco-"

He smiled, "So you remind me every time we have a conversation about it-" she blushed and looked down to her feet then as he continued, "But I decided, after a while that perhaps I could still do _something_. I helped George out of my own aspirations, honestly. I mean, we are friends but when I approached him about his shop it wasn't just because I wanted to help him it was because I wanted him to help me. And besides, a Weasley coming up with potions was looked on far better than a Malfoy doing it."

Hermione smiled and reached out, grabbing his hand in her own and giving it a squeeze just as they reached the door to the study, "You're a wonderful man Draco Malfoy. It's no wonder I fell in love with you."

He smiled then and she leaned up on her tiptoes, placing a kiss on the edge of his lips before pulling away to open the door and heading inside.

* * *

 **DRACO**  
 **Past**

Draco was quiet as he left the room, casting once last glance at the sleeping witch in his bed before he gently shut the door behind him.

He closed his eyes, letting all of the breath out of him before he walked calmly down the steps and out of the front door. He walked down the drive and past the fountain and right through the front gates without looking back. It wasn't until he steeled himself, his wand clenched tightly in his fist, and apparated on the spot that he finally allowed himself that one fleeting glance at the home he had grown up in before it too, was gone.

He appeared with a small pop in the inside of an alley, the light from the early morning sun just barely reaching the mouth of it and he stepped back, hiding in the shadows.

Before too long he heard a pop to his left and he stopped, his heart thrumming painfully loud in his ears as he waited for the signal.

Two knocks sounded close by, followed by one quieter knock and he nodded, stepping out of the shadows so that Harry, hidden under his cloak, could see him.

He straightened the lapel on his cloak as well as his shoulders and walked out of the alley and into the leaky cauldron, ignoring the stares as he so often did.

Harry was behind him, hidden out of sight, so he walked slower than he usually did through the pub, noticing the eyes that seemed to swivel in his direction as he passed and hoping that one of them would report back to the bastard behind the attacks.

He gripped his wand tighter, his nails digging half moons painfully into his palm as he walked out of the back and tapped the brick wall, stepping back and watching as the entrance to Diagon alley appeared before him.

"You've got this Malfoy." Harry's voice was low and quiet, "Don't do anything stupid."

He sneered slightly before he walked forward, "Don't worry, I'm not _you_."

Draco could almost _see_ Potter rolling his eyes under that stupid cloak of his and Draco smirked, his head held high as he passed the people on the street that seemed to go out of their way to get out of his.

He paused when he reached the entrance to Knockturn Alley, turning his head from side to side. To anyone else it would look like he was checking to make sure he wasn't followed. No one but him would know that he was steeling himself for the onslaught of memories that this trip would undoubtedly dredge up. As he took that first step into the dingy passage it felt as though his past had come back to bite him and with his second he realized that was exactly what had happened.

Continuing on his strides became surer, his spine straighter as every hair on the back of his neck stood up and his teeth cracked from the strain of his jaw clenching. He followed the plan seamlessly, playing the part that was given to him as though his life depended on it. The irony did not escape him.

By the time he reached the pub, he was sure that something was going to happen. He could feel it in his bones. He walked in, swinging the door widely so that Harry could step in unnoticed behind him and he returned the barkeeps scolding glare with a withering look of his own as he strode in like he owned the place. A few eyes turned his way as he passed on his way to the bar but no one made a move and he felt his invisible wingman close in as they approached the bar.

"Ya should'n be here Malfoy," the barkeep grunted and Malfoy rolled his eyes.

"I came to settle debts owed to the Malfoy line on behalf of my father-" Malfoy started with the line boredly.

The barkeep straightened up then to his full height, setting down the dirty rag he held in his hand as he glared across the bar.

Before the man could say anything, however a sudden hush fell over them, as though the world had suddenly ceased to exist. A flash of light resonated from over his shoulder and he ducked out of instinct as the light hit the barkeep square in the chest and the man fell over with a dull thud on top of his dusty counter.

Draco swore and ducked down further, feigning to the right as another light shot out and he tried to see where it had originated from.

"Stay close," Harry whispered in his ear.

"Easy for you to say-" Draco muttered, trying to figure out where the man had gone, "You can see me."

As soon as the words had passed his lips, the darkness descended. The light drawn from the room like a siphon.

"Peruvian instant darkness powder," he murmured.

"You're sure?"

Draco nodded, forgetting for a moment that he couldn't be seen, "Yes."

"I'm grabbing hold of your cloak," Harry whispered, "Wand ready."

He felt Harry's hand tug on the sleeve of his cloak, only enough to keep hold of him, as Draco tightened his hold on the wand with his other as the silence seemed to stretch on and they waited.

 **A/N: This story is all the way written! Now just to post! I didn't want to post it all at once and overwhelm you but let me know if you're ready for the next chapter!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **A/N: Hope that wait wasn't _too_ much like "pulling teeth" ;) **

**Chapter 24**

 **Hermione**  
 **Present**

"Here!" Hermione said as she reentered Grimmauld place, holding out the log books as Harry looked on worriedly, "What's wrong?"

"Ginny's water broke," he explained, chewing on his thumbnail as Draco appeared behind him.

"Well, go on then," Draco said.

Harry shook his head, "No, no we need to figure this out. Molly is taking her to St. Mungos."

Draco looked at Hermione sharply before he stepped forward, speaking lowly, "Last time, with Jamie it wasn't easy. It's bound to be difficult this time too. Send some of your aurors Potter and be there with Ginny."

Harry glanced to Hermione who nodded and he finally tossed his hands up in defeat and stepped around them to the fireplace.

"I'll send over my best-"

"Of course you will Potter." Draco said roughly, "Now hurry along before Ginny has my hide too."

They watched the man disappear in the flames and Hermione sighed, "Might as well go over these here, I'm sure he'll want them as evidence later."

Draco nodded, "Right. You take Harry's and I'll take Weasley's and-"

The fireplace chimed then and both of their heads turned as George stepped out again, his face sooty and drawn, "I'm here to help."

"Here," Draco said unceremoniously, pushing a thick log book into his hands.

The three worked quietly, trying to find patterns in the company that had called at various times. The task was arduous and more than once Hermione felt her eyes cross from all of the entries in the log book but slowly, she began to see a pattern forming.

"Sadie-" Draco said before she could open her mouth, "She visited Weasley nearly weekly."

"She went to Harry's office too but only, I noticed, when he wasn't there." Hermione said quietly.

"Hermione…" George said, "On the night your head went screwy, there was only one person in the office with you."

"Three guesses who?" Draco growled and George nodded.

"Sadie…" Hermione breathed as she leaned over to look at the log book in George's hands. "But why?"

"I thought she looked familiar-" Draco said suddenly, "When I was there last, it was the first time I had met her. She had always been out of the office before."

"You know her?"

Draco nodded "She was a Slytherin, first year when we were in third."

"You don't think-" George started, his eyes wide and Draco shrugged.

"What?" Hermione asked the both of them.

Draco looked at her and sighed, "I think it's time we tell you about the house elves."

* * *

 **Draco**  
 **Past**

The silent darkness was overwhelming, almost suffocating and Draco pulled on the collar of his shirt, his eyes flitting about uselessly in his head. It was impossible, through the darkness powder, to make heads or tails of anything. The whole world could be spinning upside and he would have been none the wiser. The idea of it was enough to make his palms sweat. He could still feel Potter's grasp on his sleeve and for a moment, he thought of shaking him off and pushing forward through the darkness.

He thought better of it, however, and kept still with his wand held aloft.

Suddenly, out of the dark wall before him a shape emerged. Draco watched as the shape drew nearer and it became more of a silhouette as the silence around them suddenly began to recede.

He could hear muffled shouts as the person drew nearer, their outline becoming more defined until finally, he stood before him.

"Malfoy-" the boy snarled and Draco braced himself.

"I'm sorry, I've forgotten your name again," he drawled, trying to keep the charade up. As planned.

"Doesn't surprise me," the boy spat and then proceeded to spit on the ground, right on Draco's shoes, "perhaps I will remind you."

"Now, how will you do that?" Draco asked, his wand arm relaxing only just, "As I seem to remember you weren't very good with spells before. I'm sure you've learned a thing or two since then but-"

"I don't need spells," he grit out and his hand raised then, a metal object clutched tightly in his shaking hand, "I've never needed spells. That's one advantage I have over you and your lot. Always trying to best someone. Show you're superiority and you forget that you have weaknesses, just like everyone else. Just like your _precious dark lord._ "

Draco faltered for a second, trying to recover, "He was never _my_ lord."

"Bullshit!" the boy cried, clicking something on the thing grasped tightly in his hand, "You can go meet him now. Tell him Dennis Creevey said hi and your worthless death eater mate while you're at it."

Draco's mouth went dry, "Blaise… that was you."

"Yes, Blaise," the boy snarled, ignoring his question, "never saw it coming either. At first we thought the elves, the elves would surely help to rid the bloodlines that controlled them. When it didn't work we started thinking outside the box. It dawned on me that you would never even think about muggle weaponry. Never know how to defend yourself against it. Like I said, it's a weakness you have. You _purebloods_. Thinking magic can fix anything. It fixes _nothing_! It doesn't bring back the dead. It doesn't _punish_ the people who deserve it."

"I don't-"

" ** _You deserve it_** ," the boy snapped, "You should be rotting away in Azkaban for what you've done but instead you're here. Worming your way into Hermione's life, trying to push away those who _deserve_ her. You will _never_ her you worthless piece of shite and I'm going to prove it-"

He raised up his hand then, pointing the thing in his hand directly at Draco and Harry whipped the invisibility cloak off, pushing Draco out of the way as the thing in Dennis Creevey's hand exploded. Draco's ears rang, his shoulder hit the bar, sending a shockwave of pain through him as Harry jumped to his feet and quickly disarmed the boy before him, knocking him to the ground as the darkness around them was seemingly drawn away, revealing a scene of destruction around them.

Draco pushed himself up, watching the scene before him as aurors rushed in, followed by medics, and the youngest and remaining Creevey was placed under arrest while the medics attended to those who were injured in the pub.

"Draco?-" he looked back to Harry as the ringing in his ears started to dull and he could make out the sound of the man's voice once more, "Are you alright?"

Draco nodded, numbly, and Harry reached out, helping him to his feet, clapping him firmly on the shoulder before he turned to assist with those around him.

Draco hesistated, for only a moment, before he too jumped in to the mess around him. He helped a witch up and onto her seat, calling for a medic while he grabbed a nearby cloak and held it onto the witches bleeding forehead. He moved through the crowd, finding those who were injured and those who were in a state of shock until the seedy pub was cleared save for the barman who lay lifeless on his bar top.

"Hey," Harry said suddenly from beside him and Draco turned to see him pushing his glasses further up his nose, "We should get back to your place. Hermione is probably having a fit right now."

Draco smiled ruefully to himself and nodded once, following Potter to the fireplace in the corner and watching as he disappeared before he too quickly stepped in and said the only place he really wanted to be. He just hoped his life wouldn't be endangered twice tonight.

* * *

 **Hermione**  
 **Present**

"Afterwards, it was decided that house elves were too at risk when they were tied to a family considering the vast majority of those families had been tied to or were in line with Voldemort-" Draco explained, "It took all of six months before they were all freed. After that you had no problem getting families to agree to it."

"But they're all…alive still right?" Hermione asked tensely.

"Of course," George nodded, "most of them found work at Hogwarts, but a lot of families took them on as hired help. Mum even got one."

Draco snorted, "That didn't last long."

"Well, it was worth a shot mate." George shot back and the two men chuckled dryly.

"And your family?" Hermione asked Draco.

"Mum still pays them but they don't work in the house anymore. Last I heard the remaining elves were at Hogwarts. It's safe there. They still haven't… they still remember."

Hermione nodded and swiped at her eyes. "So Sadie Baldock… what does she have to do with this?"

"Perhaps nothing, but it seems too much of a coincidence." Draco said tersely, moving to look at the log once more, "Her family was one of the last to let go of their elves. Both of her parents were in Azkaban following the war and her older brother had died in battle. Her aunt had been made the heir until Sadie came of age. She was also in the same class as Dennis."

"So you think she's… what? Angry that the house elves were freed? I didn't do that."

"No," Malfoy said, his voice tight, "but you were a big proponent of their freedom."

"It could be nothing." George offered, "but it's still worth checking out."

Hermione nodded, "You're right. We should let Harry know. Or…someone."

Draco looked up at the clock at the same time that she did, realizing that over an hour had passed since the man had left. "What's taking him so long?"

"I'll go check on him," George offered, "Let him know what we found and have him look in to it. Why don't you go home and get some rest?"

Draco nodded and stood up, holding his hand out for her as he did, "Sounds good to me."

George left first and Hermione closed the log books and followed Draco to the fireplace.

"I'm glad you weren't injured you know," Hermione said softly, reaching out to twine her fingers through his, "back then."

He smiled softly at her, "Who says I wasn't injured? I had bruises from your hands for weeks."

She rolled her eyes and stepped into the fireplace, speaking the name of her home firmly as she tossed the floo powder and ended up in her living room.

She frowned as she saw the lights still on, the soft music still playing in the background and she wondered if Narcissa had waited up for them. Draco appeared behind her, a scowl forming on his face as well as he stepped into the room.

"Mother?" he called, pushing gently past Hermione as he strode towards the kitchen as she continued to stand there, trying to put her finger on just what was wrong. "Hermione! Come quick!"

She took off then, sliding down the hallway and to a stop in the doorway of the kitchen as she found Draco sitting on the floor, Narcissa's head on his lap, blood trickling down her brow, and her hands reached up to cover her mouth as she gasped in horror.

"Check the children." He said quickly, urgently and she turned, flying up the steps two at a time and down the hall, crying out as she saw first Lyra and then Leo's beds both empty. Leo's beloved blanket left carelessly on the floor. She didn't even know she was screaming until draco was there, his face white as a patronus burst from the tip of his wand and his hands pulled her toward him, hugging her too tightly to his chest as the tears continued to flow.

 **A/N: I had a long written out A/N and I forgot to save it. Ugh. Anyway, Sadie Baldock is a character from the books, mentioned in passing. So I took some creative liberties as I often do. :)**


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **A/N: Trigger warning: character death ahead.**

 **Chapter 25**

 **Hermione**  
 **Present**

The house was swarming with aurors. Hermione sat on the couch, her eyes trained on the fire, Leo's blanket clutched against her chest firmly, unwilling to part with it for even a moment.

Draco was speaking with an auror, having taken his mother to St. Mungo's and promptly returning he had been bombarded with questions, wanting to know his whereabouts and asking for answers that Hermione couldn't give; or didn't know.

She sniffed again; blinking against the hot sting of tears and leaning her head down so that her hair covered her face once more as she felt the couch dip down beside her.

His hand was on her knee then and she leaned against him, letting his arm drop around her shoulders, "They'll find them." He said seriously.

She hoped he was right.

The minutes turned to hours and she drifted in and out of a restless sleep right there on the couch, wrapped in his arms. He spoke with those that came round, his voice rumbling against her and it was then that she would drift back off to sleep. The silence, however, would bring dreams. Screams of her children that no one else heard. She would wake with a start then and he would smooth her hair down, his voice rough and gravelly and she didn't dare to look at his deep gray eyes, fearing the pain she would see reflected back at her.

It wasn't until four hours had passed that Harry showed up, his hair a mess and his glasses askew and she sat up straighter, pulling herself out of Draco's grasp.

"Ginny? The baby?" she asked and he nodded.

"They're good, fine. Hermione, I'm so sorry, I just heard and I couldn't-"

She shook her head and shut herself back down, her eyes travelling to the dancing fire again as Draco sat forward, "Harry, it's not your fault-"

"I should have been here. We should have protected the house more when we realized someone had done this to her-"

"Stop," she said suddenly, finding her voice and looking at the man, "it doesn't do any good to blame yourself. Just… just help me find them Harry."

The man nodded once and then looked at the people milling about, "I have an idea but you might not like it."

"Anything-" Hermione said quickly.

"I was talking to him," Harry said pointedly, looking at Draco, "I think we should draw them out."

"And how do you propose we do that?"

"We leave." Harry said simply.

Draco shook his head, "No. Absolutely not."

"Draco-"

"I'm not leaving her here unprotected," he argued.

"She wouldn't be though." Harry said, "For all they know I'm still at the hospital with Gin and the baby. The aurors will leave and then you make a show of going too. Go visit your mom. We'll be here. Waiting."

"No." He said, firmly again.

"Draco-" she started and he rounded on her.

"I thought I had lost you. Do you understand how hard that was on me? You woke up and you didn't know who I was. I thought, finally, I'm getting what I deserve. What I've always deserved. But I couldn't break down because I had Leo and Lyra and I needed to be their father like mine never was for me. But you came back, you _somehow_ found me again and I'm not. I _can't_ lose you **and** them. I _won't._ "

He was leaning over her then, his forehead pressed tightly against hers and she reached up to cup his cheeks, "I'm sorry Draco. I really am."

Before he could think she nodded at Harry who pointed his wand and stupefied him.

She kissed his frozen lips once and closed her eyes, moving to stand with Harry.

"Ryland. Come here." He called to the lanky man who was scanning the nearest area. The man complied and Harry walked forward, leaning over Draco, "I'm so sorry mate."

Hermione watched as he pulled a pinch of hairs from her husband's head and turned back to the man. "You want a promotion yeah?"

The man nodded, "Well, you're about to get one."

* * *

Hermione watched the man who looked like her husband walk out the door, his hands in the borrowed pants pockets and she hoped that if anyone was watching, they wouldn't see through it. He looked like Draco but the walk was all wrong. She shook her head, turning back and closing the door to see Harry nodding at her from behind the door.

The rest of the aurors had filed out, though they had left one at the front gate who was under strict orders not to engage with anyone who might appear. The real Draco Malfoy was magicked into a chair and shoved, quite unceremoniously into the downstairs coat closet and Hermione was sure when this was over she would never hear the end of that one.

"It'll be fine." Harry said suddenly from where he sat on the stairs, his head the only thing visible from beneath the cloak. "We'll find them."

She nodded once and turned to walk back into the living room to sit and wait.

Time seemed to come slowly then, the sound of the grandfather clock somewhere in the hallway reminding her painfully of each moment her children weren't with her.

She started, out of desperation, to count the ticks. She had made it to ten thousand when the door suddenly blew open and she jumped up, her eyes darting to the stairs where Harry was waiting. She stood, frozen in place, as the debris settled and footsteps crunched the remains of the Malfoy front door.

"Sadie-" Hermione started as she saw the young, blonde witch.

Sadie smirked at her; a terrifying glint in her eye as she quickly and effectively disarmed Hermione, "Thought I'd find you here. And you too, Potter. _Stupefy_." Sadie whirled around, aiming her wand at the place where Harry had previously been sitting and Hermione bit back a cry as a dull thump sounded from the steps. "It helps to be in the know, and Merlin knows Weasley couldn't keep his mouth shut."

"Where are my _children_ you bitch!" Hermione roared, her cheeks burning with rage.

"Oh, shush now," Sadie said boredly and with a flick of her wand, Hermione felt her throat constrict, cutting off her vocal chords, "That's better. I haven't much time before _his_ precious aurors appear and I'd rather not waste it with formalities."

Hermione tried to scream, to tear against the spell that was keeping her silent, only resulting in a series of squeaks as Sadie grinned at her again.

"Look, I don't really care about your filthy half-blood brats. They're safe-ish. For now." She smiled, moving further into the room, her hand caressing the chair moldings as she went, "No, I really just want to know one thing. Where is your darling husband?"

Hermione kept her eyes forward, her lips tightly pursed, refusing to acknowledge the question at all and desperately wanting to keep Draco safe.

Sadie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms petulantly before she finally flicked her wand once more, releasing the binds on Hermione. "Ten seconds."

Hermione clenched her jaw.

"Eight."

Hermione breathed.

"Fine," Sadie shrugged, I can see this is going nowhere." Suddenly she lifted her wand up and violently, Hermione found herself thrown backwards, her back colliding with the mantle above the lit fireplace.

She cried out in pain but moved to stand despite the sharp ache in her shoulder and back of her head, her vision blurring and stars dancing across her line of sight. Before she could get all the way to her feet she was pushed backwards once more, pain shooting through her body. She had felt pain like this once before in a different room in this same house under the wand of a different witch. Screams filled her ears and she realized, belatedly, that they were her own.

"Now, as I said before, we can do this the easy way… or the hard way. You're choice."

"W-why?" Hermione sputtered, spittle running down her chin.

Said quirked a brow, "I thought it should be obvious by now oh but- but you haven't gotten your memories back yet have you? Oh this is just too wonderful. I knew this would work but I had never estimated just how well…"

"W-what?" Hermione grasped at straws, trying to delay the witch, if only a little.

"You were never my target. Gryffindor princess, Harry Potter's best friend, practically perfect in every way. What would I have wanted with _you_? Sodding know-it-all. No, my main target was and always has been your dear husband. Of course I started with Astoria, trying to reel him in. She took a little finagling. The witch was good at fighting the imperius, I'll give her that, never would have thought she could do it. Once we got her though, it should have worked. It would have worked had it not been for _you_. Messing around, not willing to let things _lie_."

"You killed people-" Hermione said, as she remembered Draco's story from earlier, "You and Dennis Creevey."

Sadie rolled her eyes, "Dennis was never in as far as I was. He wanted to avenge his poor sweet older brother; he was an easy in and a damned good insider. But then, then you were there. Fucking the whole thing up. I tried, oh how I tried. Leaking your engagement to the papers, delaying your owls to the Malfoy heir. You know, I even turned in to a two bit slag for him once, trying to get his mind away from you. Olive Rumpett was her name, shame no one ever found her after."

Hermione's eyes narrowed at the witch and on shaking hands she pushed herself up, holding on to the fireplace as she fought to regain her strength.

"It wasn't enough though and I watched as Draco Malfoy, sacred twenty-eight, fell for the bushy haired, mudblood _bitch_. I changed my mind then, decided to go about things a different way. You see, if I couldn't get directly to Draco I'd just have to go through the people he cared most about. Dennis just couldn't wait; he didn't have the patience you see. The discipline. He fucked up the original plan but it helped really. I was able to slide into the shadows then… to wait.

"And I did. I waited until you were comfortable and your guards were down and I applied for the job as your secretary. I don't think you called any of my references even," she laughed at that, the sound alarmingly calm, "I gained your trust, your friendship- did you know you and Draco were trying for another child?"

Hermione clenched her jaw so tightly she felt it pop in her skull.

"Anyway, it was easy then. I thought about just letting it go at that, continuing to put the potion in your candy pot," she smirked, "But you just couldn't leave well enough alone. You couldn't just stay away…"

"You'll never get away with this-" Hermione said finally, squaring her shoulders against the other witch who tilted her head to the side.

"Oh, don't you think I know that? Of course I know that. I know your little boyfriend over there would have hexed me right on the spot too. It's why your precious little half-breeds aren't here. Insurance," she winked and moved then, raising her wand arm again just as a body slammed into the room, knocking the wand out of her grasp and Hermione cried out as Draco flung himself- chair and all- at the witch.

Hermione tried to move toward the fray then but found herself on the floor once more, her whole body weak and shaking as she fought tears, flashes of lights filling the room as she crawled around the furniture towards the sound of the scuffle.

All too suddenly, the duel ended, the sound of silence ringing too loudly in her ears and she reached up to press the back of her hand against her mouth as she frantically searched the too dark room.

A hand pulled her up and for one heart wrenching moment she thought it was Draco, until the hand left her arm to grab roughly onto her hair, yanking her head back and holding her up by the strands as her knees threatened to give once more.

"Let her go." Draco's voice demanded and the room filled with light once more to find Draco standing near the door, his wand held at the ready, Harry at his elbow mirroring his stance.

"Or what?" Sadie laughed, "You'll hex me to death? Do you think you're that good of a marksmen Malfoy? Care to chance it?"

"Why are you doing this?" the blonde man asked, his voice firm though his frazzled eyes gave away his conflicting emotions.

"Because you _deserve_ it. My parents are in Azkaban. My parents who _hid_ from Voldemort so as not to be recruited into his following and he personally _hunted them down._ They were tortured, cursed, and made to do his bidding and yet you're here. You're free; despite the fact that you _chose_ him. You _chose_ that scar on your arm."

Draco swallowed, his adam's apple bobbing with the movement before he stepped forward.

Harry started to protest, his free hand reaching out, but the blonde man shook him off, stepping closer even still.

"You're parents, they might not have deserved what they got. I'm working on something to make sure that doesn't happen again, to anyone else. And you're right, I don't deserve everything I've got. I will never deserve her. Or _them._ But I will _die_ trying."

And before anyone could react he lunged forward, yanking Hermione out of the woman's grasp as a burst of green light shot forth, hitting him square in the chest. Hermione screamed as they landed, her arms wrapping around her husband's still form as Harry Potter yelled something in the distance and the world seemed to stop spinning.

 **A/N: This was the last chapter.**

 **Until I rewrote it. I should have one more up for you soon! The more reviews, the faster I'll write. ;)**


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **A/N: I'm sorry for that cliffhanger last chapter! I guess I'm a little more sadistic than originally thought. ;) Hope this makes up for it.**

 **Chapter 26**

Hermione cradled Draco's head in her hands, her body thrown over his chest as she pressed her forehead tightly against his, her tears blurring her vision as memory after memory cascaded into her head. Their first kiss, their first argument, the day the married as Harry walked her down the aisle, her mother sitting in the front room watching blankly while Narcissa held her hands tightly in her own. The day she found out she was pregnant with Leo and the day their son was born as Draco wept openly as he held the newborn babe in his arms. Watching as he cradled Lyra in his hands, singing 'Happy Birthday' to her softly while she watched from the bed and the last time she had seen him before she left for work that day.

"You can't go now," she finally spluttered through her tears, "not when I've just now remembered you."

She felt hands on her back then and she pushed herself closer to Draco, unwilling for Harry to pull her away just yet, not when she hadn't said good-bye. Not when she had only just said hello.

"Hermione-" a voice said, "Love, I'm not going anywhere but I can't breathe."

She jerked back then, realizing that the hands on her back were not Harry's but those of her husband who was very much alive and looking up at her with amusement in his gray eyes.

"You son of a banshee," she swore, reaching down to kiss his lips, "I thought you were dead," she kissed him harder, "You scared" and again, "the shite," and once more, "out of me. Wait. How are you not dead? I saw her-"

Draco smirked and reached down to pull the material of his cloak up between them, "George and I's latest venture. Shield cloaks."

She sat up then, her eyes narrowing before she reached out to push him hard on the chest. He winced hard as she fumed, "You're telling me that you used an experimental product in a fight against a murderous raving lunatic. Are you insane? Do you not remember half of the products you two morons have thought up?"

"Not all of them are- Hey, wait, do you…did you…"

Hermione nodded, "it came rushing back when I- when I thought you were dead. I remembered all of it, even Leo's little cow lick at the top of his head and- oh, Draco, the children!"

She would have jumped up then, if not for the fact that her legs felt like jelly and her head was as heavy as a cauldron cake.

"Harry-" Draco called and the man finished covering up the body of the deceased witch on the other side of the room, heading over to them with a deep scowl on his face, "Any word on the children? Where she might have taken them?"

Harry nodded, "Ron is looking for her records now. If we can find her place of residence-"

"Ron?" Hermione asked, "Is that wise?"

Harry rubbed the back of his neck, "Sadie didn't just attack here Hermione, she set off some traps at the ministry too. There were some injuries there and we're doing the best we can with what we have. As far as I can tell there are no lasting impacts of the imperius curse and he…well he wanted to help."

Hermione nodded and reached out, pulling her best friend into her, burying her face in his neck. He hugged her back, tightening his fingers on her shoulder blades, "We'll find them Hermione."

"I know."

* * *

Draco was pacing the study and Hermione sat on the plush leather chair she had moved out from behind the desk. Her head was spinning and his back and forth movements were making her dizzy. But had she not felt as though she had been run over by the Hogwarts express she would have been doing the same so she ignored it, forcing her eyes to her feet as they awaited news. Of any kind.

"So, you remember everything?" Draco finally asked, moving to perch on the end of the desk, his fingers drumming a quick rhythm on the desktop.

She nodded, "it was like a flood gate opened up, honestly. It all came back at once. Even the argument we had… before."

Draco sighed, "I didn't mean it."

"Let's not worry about it right-"

"No," he said, his voice tight, "I- I thought you were gone; before. I thought when you woke up that day that I had lost you and the last words I said to you would be the last ones I would remember saying to you were that I didn't know if I wanted to be with you anymore-"

"Draco-"

"Let me finish, please," he said, his words edged with pain. She nodded, pressing her lips together.

"Hermione there is no one else in this world I would want to be with. You're- you're everything to me. To our children. I love you more than words could ever express and it's more than just you being the mother to my children. You're- Harry once told me, long ago, that I had saved you but he had it all wrong. Because _you_ saved _me_. You taught me how to live with my scars and how to learn from them."

"Are you quite finished?" she asked once his words had trailed off and he didn't try to speak more. He nodded once and she stood up, holding on to the desk for support as she drew closer to him on shaky legs. She didn't say anything more as she reached up, pressing her lips to his and tangling her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck. He responded in kind, his own breath heavy in her mouth as he picked her up and placed her gently on the surface of the desk, his hands cupping her face as he kept them fused together.

It wasn't until they heard the throat clearing loudly that they finally broke apart and Hermione wept with relief as she saw Harry and Ron in the doorway, each holding one of her babies.

"Found these two, thought you might like them back." Harry smiled as he set Leo down and he bounded to Hermione, wrapping his arms around her legs before she tugged him up to sit in her lap.

"Where were they?" Draco asked as he walked to Weasley, extending his hands out to catch Lyra as she fell into his embrace and he kissed her forehead as much as she would allow.

"In her apartment. I mean, she obviously wasn't the _brightest_ witch."

"No," Draco said with a cheeky grin, "I married that one."

Ron chuckled at that, extending his hand out and Draco looked once between the freckled man and Harry before he shifted his daughter around in her arms and reached out, giving the man's hand a firm shake, expressing more in that gesture than his words could.

Harry clapped both men on the back, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to finish up the paperwork and then get back to the hospital. Last I heard Ginny was going mental because we hadn't thought of a name yet."

"Draco's a good one," Draco called.

"No way, if he uses any name it will be after me. I _am_ the uncle after all," Ron boasted.

Hermione rolled her eyes and pulled Leo tighter against her, breathing in his scent as she kissed the top of his head once more.

"'Mione," Hermione looked up to see Ron looking at her from under his lashes, "I- I wanted to apologize for my behavior-"

"Ron, you were under-"

"No," Ron shook his head, "That's not what I meant. I never really said it, to either of you but I am sorry, about before. I let my grief cloud my judgement. I thought- I thought we were meant for each other but… I think one of us would have killed each other if we had stayed together."

"Don't be stupid Ronald," Hermione scoffed, "you never would have stood a chance against me."

Draco barked out a laugh then, and Ron glared at the man before his own lips pulled up at the corners and he nodded at her, "I'd like to be friends, if you'd allow it."

Hermione grinned, "I never thought we weren't."

The man smiled in return and looked at Malfoy, "You too Malfoy."

"I a Ma-foy!" Leo called and Ron smiled at the boy as Hermione felt her heart swell in her chest and for once, everything felt right.

* * *

"I still can't believe you named her Lily. Draco would make a perfectly fine name for a girl." Draco scoffed, holding the baby in his hands.

"Lay off it Malfoy," Ginny said as she passed, looking amused more than annoyed at the man holding her infant.

Draco mumbled something under his breath but let it go, shouldering the infant as he tried to elicit a burp from her.

The fireplace dinged and Hermione smiled as Ron appeared; his girlfriend Natalie not far behind him. He waved at her as the children attacked his knees, begging for the sweets they knew he kept stashed in his pockets. Hermione smirked and looked to her husband to see him now making faces at little Lily Luna Potter and Hermione rolled her eyes as she reached over to gently pull the baby from his grasp, "You're going to scare her."

Draco huffed, "She could never be scared of her uncle Draco, could you Little Lily?" He reached over to kiss the bottom of the baby's foot and Hermione smiled at her husband.

It had been a rough few months but she was glad that things were finally settling down. Her eyes flitted across the kitchen where Molly and Angelina were working on dinner. Arthur and George were close by; their heads tilted together as they watched the children play with Ron who was now on the floor playing with the quidditch set they had given Jamie.

Hermione sighed in contentment and she felt Draco's hand come to rest on her shoulder as she laid her own head on his shoulder as she watched her family before her.

It wasn't perfect, nor was it whole- there were always going to be missing pieces- but it was hers.

It was theirs.

She couldn't ask for anything more.

Well…

"Hey Draco-" she started, smiling down at the baby in her arms.

"Yes Love?" he hummed as she met his eye, biting her lip, "I think Lyra would love to have a baby brother or sister around…"

 **The End.**


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